Quinoa & Black Bean Salad

This sweet and tangy,

protein and antioxidant-packed

side dish 

is the perfect pick-me-up in the middle of winter!

I made a batch for the sole purpose of having "grab-ready" in the fridge for a quick, healthy snack.

I even eat it right out of the bowl...(please tell me you do this too!).

And my one-year-old loved it too!

Quinoa & Black Bean Salad

From my mother-in-law

Makes about 6 servings

1 1/2 cups quinoa, cooked

1 can black beans, drained/rinsed

1 can corn, drained

1 cup unsweetened dried cranberries (or raisins--white raisins are yummy too!)

1 diced red bell pepper

dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

4 Tbsp lime juice

1 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander*

1/4 tsp salt

Combine first five ingredients in a medium bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients together.  Pour dressing over salad and stir well.  Chill for a few hours before eating.  Enjoy!

*If you don't have ground coriander, don't stress.  It'll taste great without it too!

Whole Wheat Pasta Salad with Homemade Dressing

I am still living in jacket-weather.

And we're nearing the end of June.

Seriously.

So, to combat the grossness outside, I made something yummy:

The perfect summer pasta salad.

(Take that, yucky-cold-rainy-44-degree-weather!)

And this one's good, trust me. It's not covered in a bunch of globby mayo or sugar-infested dressing.

Simply fresh and lovely.

I slightly adapted the dressing recipe from allrecipes.com.

As for the pasta and veggies, I used whole wheat rotini and whatever vegetables I had in the fridge and added some creamy feta. This could easily be your clean-out-the-produce-drawer go-to recipe! :)

(I didn't exactly measure the veggies...just throw in whatever looks good.)

Makes about 8 servings

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Salad:

8 oz. whole wheat rotini pasta

1 small cucumber, thinly sliced

1 handful cherry tomatoes, quartered

3-4 carrots, sliced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced

4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Place all dressing ingredients into a closed container and shake to combine (this can be made ahead and refrigerated; I think refrigerating also gives it more flavor).

Cook pasta according to directions, let cool, and mix in prepared veggies & cheese. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight before serving.

...I think I can smell summer coming...

Craisin Salad

I say yes to anything with cashews and feta cheese in it! The recipe for the dressing comes from an old neighborhood cookbook I have. Other than the dressing ingredients, I don't really measure anything else. Just use your best judgement--and enjoy!

Salad:

Leafy greens--Fill a large bowl with your favorites (I usually use almost a whole head of romaine and some baby spinach)

2 crisp apples, thinly sliced

1/2 cup (or more) dried cranberries (craisins)

1/2 cup (or more) cashews

Feta cheese (however much looks good!)

Dressing:

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1 1/2 Tbs lemon juice

1 1/2 Tbs onions, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup canola oil

1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Toss the salad ingredients together, then mix dressing ingredients together in a blender. Drizzle dressing over the salad, toss it, and serve immediately.