“Ain’t nobody got time for this,” I thought, as I painstakingly picked minuscule currant after currant from tiny dangling stems and plopped them, two by two, into a bowl.

I’m normally not one to include “ain’t” in my lexicon. In this case, though, it fit.  My wonderful CSA farmer snipped a glorious bunch of berry-laden stems and sneaked them in with my loot last Friday, and I needed to do something with them quick. No way were they going to waste.

My mind swirled with everything that needed to get done around the house. To my right a golden retriever incessantly gnawed on half a purple-striped paper straw (I can only assume the other half will appear … later). To my left, my toddler loitered beside me, holding out a random sticky piece of paper, uttering “bubbles, bubbles, bubbles” over and over again until I let her place it in my palm so that I could thank her profusely and make a production of throwing it in the trash. (Somewhere along the way, “garbage” has become “bubbles.”)

I returned to my plucking, and suddenly, it hit me. To have time to remove red currants from their precocious stems – it’s a gift. I thought about how fortunate I have been to be able to hit the brakes for awhile, step away from corporate life, and hang at home with my little one for this precious period of time. I thought about how, with both of my hands fussing over these tiny berries, I didn’t have the option of using this rare bit of downtime to fiddle with my iPhone or iPad or iWhatever, and I thought about how this gives my brain a little more room to think deeper thoughts. And I thought about how, sometimes, you just have to make the time to do stuff you don’t have time for, because really that’s the most important time of all.

And then after all my Deep Thoughts, I made a fruit salad. But just not any fruit salad – a quinoa fruit salad. A red, white, and blue quinoa salad, to be exact.

I’ve been crushing on Maria’s Quinoa Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing since last summer. Well, I’ve been crushing on the idea. Honestly, at first, I wasn’t sure I’d like a sweet salad made with quinoa – I’m so used to associating quinoa with savory dishes. But I kept thinking about it.

And you know, quinoa really does, as it turns out, lend itself perfectly to a sweeter treatment. Quinoa has an almost neutral flavor, so it just soaks up all the deliciousness of the easy honey-lime dressing, which complements the bright bursts of berries perfectly. I went with blueberries, strawberries, and red currants, but just about any combo of fresh fruit will do wonderfully.

Quinoa and berries together – what a seriously nutrient-packed dish. Plus, it’s satisfying and scrumptious. Totally worth the time it takes to put together – which, really, is hardly any time at all.

There’s absolutely no reason for being rushed along with the rush. Everybody should be free to go very slow. – Robert Frost

More Easy Quinoa Salad Recipes

• Quinoa Tabbouleh
• Tabbouleh Hummus Mason Jar Salads
• Lemony Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Fresh Dill
• Quinoa Vegetable Salad

If you try and love this recipe for quinoa berry salad, please leave a review! Even if you don’t absolutely love it, I welcome any and all feedback and I share all legit reviews. I test my recipes multiple times in my home kitchen, but I really appreciate knowing how they’re working for others; your reviews help me make tweaks until my recipes are just right! And they’re so valuable for other readers, too. Thank you! ❤️

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Red, White & Blue Quinoa Berry Salad

Quinoa gets the sweet treatment in this refreshing summer salad with strawberries, blueberries, and red currants (though you can easily sub raspberries or blackberries in for the currants).

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6

Author Kare

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon lime zest from about 1 large lime
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice about 1 large juicy lime
• 3 tablespoons honey can sub agave syrup or Grade A pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped peppermint

Salad:

• 2 cups cooked quinoa* start with about 3/4 cup dried quinoa
• 2 cups blueberries
• 1 cup strawberries hulled and diced
• 1/2 cup red currants can substitute blackberries or raspberries

Instructions

• Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, honey, and peppermint. Set aside.
• Place the quinoa, blueberries, strawberries, and red currants in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the top and toss gently. Serve.
• Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two days, but I think it’s better when served right after assembling.

The post Red, White & Blue Quinoa Fruit Salad appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Have you ever sat over a pitcher of sangria, stabbing at that perfect piece of potent booze-soaked fruit that keeps bobbing just out of your reach? Nod with me. I’d be willing to bet most sangria lovers can relate.

Well, no more. With mason jar sangria, everyone gets the perfect portion of potent strawberries, blackberries, and apples in every single serving. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner!

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Ingredients
• How to Make Mason Jar Sangria
• More Sangria Recipes

• Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
• Read Comments & Reviews

The Story Behind the Recipe

The idea came to me as I was pulling out a tiny little test batch of a new flavor of sangria I was trialing. I’d chilled it in a mason jar, and all I had to do was add ice, the carbonated beverage, and a straw right to the jar. Holy epiphany!

The next day, I was making these. It’s a very slight variation of my white strawberry lemon sangria – I added blackberries, and, of course, divided the ingredients among several jars instead of assembling it in one pitcher. The result is light, refreshing, slightly pink-tinged, and perfect for summer. This make-ahead mason jar sangria recipe is very flexible – blueberries would be a nice addition, too. Or, really, anything else you want to add.

Readers say …

I doubled this recipe for a cookout last weekend and it was a hit! I actually used Moscato, as I am not a fan of dry wine and it was really good. I’ve been asked to bring it again this weekend to a family trip to the cabin. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

– Chelsea

Ingredients

• White wine – I like dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, but if you prefer a sweeter wine, go for it!
• Strawberries & blackberries
• Apple – Honeycrisp is fab in sangria. Slice it up.
• Lemons
• Rum – White (or light) rum
• Lemon lime soda

How to Make Mason Jar Sangria

Set out 8 (16-ounce) mason jars. Divide the fruit among the mason jars, then pour the wine and rum over the top. Screw on the lid and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, then remove from the fridge to serve. Just pour on soda and add a straw, and then pass ’em out!

Individual sangrias in a jar are your oyster, pretty much. Have at it! Play with the recipe and make it yours. Or try the sangria in a jar thing with your own favorite sangria recipe. Just don’t forget to invite me over.

More Sangria Recipes

• Strawberry Sangria
• Summer Sangria
• The Best Red Sangria
• Apple Cider Sangria
• Pear Sangria
• Fall Sangria
• Watermelon Sangria
• Cranberry Apple Sangria
• Margarita Sangria

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Make-Ahead Mason Jar Berry Sangrias

Personal, individually-portioned sangrias made and served in the very same jar. Strawberries, blackberries, lemons, and apples soak in white wine and rum – then you simply pull the jars out of the fridge, add ice and soda, plop in a straw, and hand ’em out. Your next party just got loads easier.

Prep Time 4 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8 individual sangrias

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 2 lemons thinly sliced
• 1 apple cored and sliced (any kind)
• 1 cup strawberries hulled and sliced lengthwise
• 1 cup blackberries
• 1 750 ml bottle white wine (a dry-ish white wine is best – I like Sauvignon Blanc) (about 1/2 cup per jar)
• ½ cup white rum divided (1 tablespoon per jar)
• Approx. 4 cups lemon-lime soda

Equipment:

• 8 16- ounce pint mason jars with lids and rims
• Straws

Instructions

• Divide lemon slices among the eight jars, then the apples, then the strawberries and blackberries.
• Pour the wine (1/2 cup each) and rum (1 tablespoon each) into each jar, over the fruit.
• Cover each jar with a lid and screw shut.
• Place in the refrigerator for 4 – 5 hours, or up to 12 hours.
• Remove from refrigerator. Add ice and pour lemon-lime soda to the top of the jar. Plop in a straw and serve.

The post Mason Jar Sangria appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.