Quinoa Salad with Beets & Avocado

Think pink! And think of all the iron, fiber, folate, potassium, and cancer-fighting betalains these brightly colored beets have to offer (not to mention the rest of the nutrient-dense, pink-stained, ingredients in this salad)! The salad alone is pretty filling with walnuts and fiber and protein packed quinoa, but I'll include a spicy grilled chicken breast option for those who need meat. 

Yields 2 dinners with chicken, and 2 leftover vegetarian lunches

• 2 small, boneless, skinleses chicken breasts (I've sliced 1 large breast in half)
• Chicken marinade*:

• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne
• Quinoa*: 
• 1 medium onion
• 7 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp chili flakes
• fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 1 1/3 cup quinoa
• 2 1/3 cup water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 medium beets
• 1 ripe avocado
• Spring mix greens (5oz bag)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• Dressing:  
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped basil

* I marinade the chicken and cook the quinoa well in advance to allow the flavor to soak into the chicken, and the quinoa to cool.

Trim any fat off chicken breast and slice lengthwise to create 2 chicken breast halves (or use 2 small breasts). Add all marinade ingredients to chicken and set aside in fridge.

Dice onion, then peel and mince garlic. Heat olive oil over med-high in a small pot with a lid. Add diced onion and let cook for 5min, stirring. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic, chili flakes and fresh ground pepper, and continue to cook for another 5min. Add a tablespoon of water if things start to stick to the bottom. When the mixture looks slightly caramelized, remove from pot and set aside in a large salad bowl. 

Using the same pot (no need to wash/rinse so any tasty bits left on the pot will lend flavor to the quinoa), combine quinoa, water, bay leaves and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low, cover, and set timer for 15min. When the timer goes off, remove from heat, let stand 5min before fluffing. Empty the contents of the pot into the salad bowl and toss with onion and garlic. Cover and set aside in fridge. 

Preheat a double-sided grill (ie. George Foreman). Peel beets and slice approx 1cm thick. Grill beets for 10-12min or til tender. Transfer to cutting board and cut each slice into 6-8 pieces (bite size). Add beets to salad bowl. Once the grill has cooled, clean it off so it can be used again later for the chicken breast.

honey basil vinaigrette

Cut avocado in half and remove pit. Slice lengthwise into 8 strips and remove the peel. Give the peeled avocado a quick cold water bath to prevent them from turning brown. Remove from water and dice into bite size pieces. Add to salad bowl and toss. Can be served while beets are still warm, or refrigerate until closer to serving time. 

Just before serving, preheat double-sided grill. Place marinated chicken on grill and set timer for 7min (or until cooked, depending on thickness of chicken breast). 

Meanwhile, put all dressing ingredients into a jar, then shake/stir to mix. Pour over quinoa salad, tossing well to combine. Add chopped walnuts and as much spring mix greens as you like and toss again. Serve with grilled chicken.

Cucumber Grape Salad, Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

Mmm, cool, crunchy, juicy, and sweet, but not too sweet... I don't typically dream up salads that don't involve quinoa or spinach, but this quick and simple combination turned out quite nicely! 

Cukes (with peel!) are loaded with water, fiber, vitamins & minerals, grapes are rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins & minerals, and walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamins E & B-complex, various minerals, and of course, protein! 

Note: I chose hothouse cucumbers because I prefer fewer seeds and a peel that isn't so tough. 

Makes 2 large sides

• 2-1/2 cups hothouse cucumber (approx 1 medium-sized cuke)
• 1-1/2 cups seedless green grapes
• 1/2 cup (heaping) walnut halves
• Dressing: 
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
• fresh ground pepper, to taste

Wash the skin of the cucumber thoroughly to remove any pesticides. The peel contains many important nutrients, so we definitely want to make sure to include this!  Cut into approximately 1cm thick slices, then quarter. 

Wash the grapes thoroughly as well and slice in half. 

Combine the sliced cucumber and grapes in a salad bowl. Do not add the chopped walnut halves until just before serving so the walnuts stay crunchy!

Each dressing ingredient can be added directly to the salad before tossing. When measuring out the liquid ingredients, start with olive oil as the slickness that remains on your measuring spoon will ensure all of the measured honey slides right off the spoon. With the dried parsley and tarragon, I measured out what was needed, then rubbed the herbs between my fingers to sprinkle over the salad. Rubbing the dry herbs this way releases essential oils and flavor. Make sure your hands are clean and dry before doing this! 

Toss salad and dressing with walnuts. Enjoy :)