Quinoa, Strawberry Spinach Salad

I'm road testing salad recipes for sack lunches. I'm back to work in about 3 weeks and I need a few more lunch ideas. I like quinoa in salads because it gives a salad a protein boost without adding meat. I used pomegranate molasses in the dressing. Pomegranate molasses is a fancy term for pomegranate juice that has been reduced to a syrup. The stove does all the work, you just have to be nearby to turn off the heat when the juice transforms into a syrup. If you can't find perline sized mozzarella, you can cut up the larger balls into bite sized pieces.

serves 6

Salad
1 pint strawberries sliced
5 ozs spinach leaves
1/3 cup sliced red onion
8 oz Perline Mozzarella(pearl-sized mozzarella balls)
3 cups cooked quinoa
1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Vinaigrette
3-4 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

To make pomegranate molasses
Place 2 cups of pomegranate juice in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Boil until the juice has reduced to about a 1/3 cup(about 20 minutes) and coats the back of a spoon. The molasses will stiffen as it cools. To return to a pourable state, heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl and gently toss. Whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients together. Dress the salad just before serving. You can place the salad in single serving containers and carry the vinaigrette in separately.