from the salad archive

Here's a favorite arrangement of garden goodies I made for the first time last summer.

First, there's quinoa. Quinoa is highly nutritious - you may have heard me touting the health benefits of this ancient grain on here before. This supergrain (technically it's not a grain, but the fruit of a green leafy plant) is gluten free and can supply the body with impressive levels of protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber. About half a cup of quinoa will provide a child's protein needs for one day. I hear that and it reinforces my belief that world hunger could be a thing of the past if our governments would get out of the way, but about the salad....

• Place some quinoa over lettuce, this was butter crunch from a friend's garden. You might want to make a little extra so that you can keep it around in the fridge for a couple days already steamed, this makes for easy salads and wraps if you're in a hurry.



• Next chop the veggies. I love the texture of a chopped salad, this one has cucumbers, radish, and tomato. I left the red onion in slivers because it looked nice.



• Strain some chickpeas and place them on top.



• Drizzle the dressing of your choice over the top - I like a mustard vinaigrette with this.

Great summer meal/salad for meatless Monday!