What the bulk?!? Quinoa Salad

 Lemon-scented Quinoa Salad Recipe

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 can garbanzo beans, or dried equivalent
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
Tahini Dressing:
1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
1/4 cup tahini
Zest of one lemon
scant 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons hot water
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Rinse the quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan heat the quinoa and water until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 15 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlique in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.
While the quinoa is cooking make the dressing. Whisk together the garlic, tahini, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil. Add the hot water to thin a bit and then the salt.
Toss the cooked quinoa, beans, cilantro, red onion, and half of the dressing. Add more dressing if you like and season with more salt to taste. Serve garnished with a bit of cilantro.
Serves 4.

From the site: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001493.html

Tangy Bean Salad

Here is a yummy, quick and easy recipe for a tangy bean salad from Whole Foods. I love the way he uses it as a topping for a salad. No dressing necessary when you have something this good topping your salad! This is exactly the kind of thing to make on a Sunday afternoon to have for lunch throughout your week! Why not make some and keep individual portions on hand?

How to jazz up a salad, veganmama style!

There really is something about a fresh, crunchy garden salad, right? I'm not talking about the iceberg lettuce salad of our youth, topped with cukes and out-of-season tomatoes, but a big ol' SALAD that you can really sink your teeth into and make a meal out of! The kind where the dressing is light and doesn't take away from the taste of the vegetables.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of seeing some family from out-of-state and we enjoyed a nice Sunday dinner together at my parent's house. I was asked to contribute a salad to the meal, so I thought I'd have some fun with it and really jazz it up.



I started with a base of organic romaine, chopped. Then I added a small amount of chopped kale and chopped parsley, for extra flavor and nutritional bang :) Then, it was just a process of adding any vegetables I had in the fridge, including: broccoli, cukes, yellow and red peppers, soybeans, carrots (just do yourself a favor and buy the already-shredded kind!), avocado and Craisins. My favorite part of it were the raw sunflower seeds I toasted in a dry skillet and sprinkled over the top. The dressing was a light dressing from Annie's. Definitely a salad with enough flavor and crunch to satisfy!