Quinoa is a staple in our house. It’s high in protein and takes less than 20 minutes to make–a mother’s dream. We use it as a breakfast cereal in the morning and in place of rice at dinner. Yeah, we sound like quinoa addicts and I’m not ashamed to admit it 🙂
I think the best thing about quinoa is its versatility. You can use it for almost anything. Lately I’ve been making a lot of salads for lunch using quinoa and whatever is in my fridge at the moment. The recipe below is not one I can claim as my own, but I’m addicted to it and need to share! We visited friends in San Francisco a few weeks ago and my dear friend Amy made this salad to welcome us after a LONG drive in the car. Isn’t she the best friend ever?
There are a few staples in my quinoa salads (quinoa, lemon/olive oil dressing, legumes) but the veggies change almost daily depending on what’s in season. I didn’t list exact measurements in the recipe below because it really depends on your own personal preference. Enjoy!
- 2 cups cooked quinoa 1 part dry quinoa, 2 parts veggie broth. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer for 20 minutes until broth is absorbed. For added flavor throw is a teaspoon of butter too.
- artichoke hearts I like the marinated kind from Trader Joes
- 1 can garbanzo beans use Eden Organic to avoid BPA in the can
- Feta cheese
- cherry tomatoes halved
- peas only if they are fresh from the farmer's market, otherwise skip them 🙂
- 1 part lemon juice
- 2 parts extra virgin olive oil
- thyme dried or fresh
- sea salt to taste
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Combine ingredients for dressing and mix well.
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Combine dressing and salad ingredients together and mix to combine.
