Salad Need Not Be Boring!

My ideas about salad often revert to iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber—the salad of my youth.  So I am particularly thrilled when friends send me their salad recipes.  My friend Grace Markarian shared a recipe that I would like to pass on.  It is an inventive use of cooked and raw vegetables, quinoa and spices.

“I have been eating whole-food, plant-based for about 8 months now,” Grace told me, “and I have been using lots of quinoa, beans, lentils, and raw and cooked vegetables. In my refrigerator today there was a red bell pepper that had to be used soon, some cilantro, also to be used soon and a ton of carrots, plus lots of shallots in my pantry. 

“I had cooked some quinoa last night, because if you have cooked quinoa on hand, then you can make all kinds of tasty stuff and make sure you are getting some protein in the process.  Then I got to work to make lunch.”

Spiced Quinoa, Bean, and Veggie Salad – serves 3

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon paprika

3 cups cooked quinoa

1/2 cup minced red bell pepper

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 cup chopped carrots (I steamed them because I like them softer)

1 15-ounce can pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup arugula

12 cherry tomatoes, halved, or 2 small tomatoes, cut into sections

1/2 small avocado, cut into small pieces

Dijon vinaigrette or other salad dressing

Add the olive oil to a small frying pan over medium high heat.  When hot, stir-fry the shallots along with the chili powder, cumin seeds and paprika.  When the shallots have softened, remove from the heat.

Add the quinoa to a medium bowl.  Stir in the shallots and any leftover oil.  Add the red bell pepper pieces, cilantro, carrots, pinto beans, lime juice, salt and black pepper. Stir thoroughly to combine.

Serve over a bed of arugula, with cherry tomato halves and chopped avocado.

To make it look pretty, press the salad into a small bowl and invert it onto the plate.  Drizzle some Dijon vinaigrette over everything.

                For easy-to-make recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!"