Simple Quinoa Salad
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
1 cucumber chopped
1 cup sliced grape
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions or diced red onion
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
Juice from 1 lemons
1/2 tsp Real Salt or sea salt
1 small avocado cubed
Bring water to boil, add quinoa, cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes until tender. Let cool befor adding to salad. While quinoa is cooking, combine all other ingredients. Add cooled quinoa and mix well.
Chic peas are a nice additional to this salad to make it more filling. You could also make it Mexican style by adding black beans and using cilantro instead of parsley and mint.
Sesame Kale Salad
This kale salad is not necessarily good by itself but is a delicious addition to a hummus wrap, stuffed pita, sandwich, or quinoa, pasta or other grain based salad.
1 large bunch of fresh kale
1 – 2 T tahini (sesame seed paste)
Juice of one lemon
1/2 T brown sesame seeds
Sea Salt
Finely chop kale and place in a large salad bowl. (Strip kale off stalks if preferred. If the stalks are young and tender, I like to keep them.)
Starting with 1 tablespoon of tahini, add to the kale along with lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Message kale with your hand until bright green and tender. Add more tahini if more oil is needed.
Sprinkle on sesame seeds and mix through out. Salt more to taste if needed.
Alternatively you can message 1/4 of an avocado into the kale if you are going to use it in a Mexican type salad or chop 1/2 can of olives and message them into the kale like I do in the Mediterranean Kale Salad pictured above.
April’s note: This salad travels well! I made this ahead for my 4 day trip to California to visit my brother. Not only did I use it in my humus wraps but one day for lunch we went to an Indian café where I bought a side of tabouli salad, a side of humus, and I mixed both into my kale salad. It was delicious!
Spinach Potato Salad
1 1/2 lbs red potatoes cut in small chunks
1 tsp tarragon
2 cups fresh or frozen corn
1/2 cup sliced red onion
1 red bell pepper chopped
3 cups chopped baby spinach
1 cup Sweet Mustard Dressing
2 Tbsp prepared mustard
1/2 avocado diced
1/2 tsp Real Salt or sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Cook potatoes in boiling water for 5–10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain well and transfer to a large serving bowl, carefully stir in tarragon and let cool. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well and serve immediately. Serves 6–8.
Tip: Speed up cooling time of the potatoes by mixing the frozen corn to the potatoes after draining.
Hoppin John Zucchini Salad
2 medium zucchini shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup red onion minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
2 ears corn, cut off the cob
2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
1 avocado, diced
Zest of one lime
Juice of 2 limes
Sea salt
A few dashes of cayenne pepper
Chopped tomato for garnish
Boil 1 cup water, add rice, lower heat to simmer, and cook for 20 – 30 minutes until tender. Let cool. Place all other ingredients in a large salad bowl. Mix well. Salt to taste. Gently mix in tomatoes or garnish on top each serving.
Chickpea Quinoa Salad with Kale
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chopped kale
1 avocado, divided
Juice from 2 lemons and 1 lime
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cucumber, cut in 1/4 inch cubes
2 cups grape tomatoes cut in half
1 cup fresh corn
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 avocado, cubed
Sea salt
Bring 2 cups water to boil. Add quinoa, reduce heat to low and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool before adding to salad. To speed up the cooling process, spread out on a small baking pan and place in freezer for 5 minutes.
Place chopped kale in a large salad bowl. Massage kale with 1/4 of the avocado and lemon juice until tender. Add remaining ingredients and toss. Salt to taste.
Hoppin John Salad with Kale
1/2 cup long grain brown rice
2 cups finely chopped kale
1 avocado, halved, pitted, and scored in small chunks
5 T lime juice
1 T unseasoned rice vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
4 green onions, sliced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 cup raw corn, fresh off the cob
2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
Sea salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper
Chopped tomato for garnish
Boil 1 cup water, then add rice, lower heat to simmer, and cook for 25 – 30 minutes until tender. Place chopped kale in a large salad bowl and add 1/4 of the avocado, lime juice, and garlic. With hands, message kale until tenderized and well coated with avocado and lime juice. Add remaining ingredients, along with remaining avocado. Mix well. Salt to taste. Gently mix in tomatoes or use as a garnish on top of each serving.
Mediterranean Kale Salad
Fresh basil and vine-ripened tomatoes are key ingredients in this absolutely delicious Mediterranean Kale Salad recipe. It’s satisfying and filling on it’s own and would also be great accompanying your Memorial Day barbecue.
3/4 cup millet or quinoa, uncooked
4 – 5 oz. kale, finely chopped (about 4 cups)
1 14 oz. can black olives, chopped
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup tightly packed basil leaves, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped red onion
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 cups cooked white navy, great northern, or kidney beans
2 cups raw corn
3 T balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
Boil 1 1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Add grain, reduce heat to low, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool.
Place kale in a large bowl. Add olives and lemon juice to kale. Using your hands, massage kale, olives and lemon very well until the kale is bright green and tender.
Mix in remaining ingredients. Add more lemon juice or balsamic vinegar if needed. Salt to taste.
Texas Caviar
Need a potluck dish that everyone will love? This is it!! Standard American family tested and approved!
2 ears of fresh corn cut off cob
2 bell peppers (1 red & 1 orange) chopped
2–3 tomatillos chopped (optional)
1 small red onion chopped
4 jalapeños seeded and minced
4 or 5 Roma tomatoes chopped
1 large clove garlic crushed
2–3 limes juiced
1/2 – 1 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper
1–2 tsp chili powder
Sweet Vinegar Dressing to taste*
1 large avocado diced
2 cups cooked black beans
Combine everything in a large bowl and mix well. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.
I make my own by cutting a stack of corn tortillas in half. Then quarter each half. Lay them on a cookie sheet and bake at 260 degrees for 20 minutes or until crisp.
*Sweet Vinegar Dressing
Cover 1 cup pitted dates in rice vinegar for 8 hours. Blend until smooth. Add water if needed to thin and to weaken the strength of the vinegar flavor. Store dressing in a glass jar in the refrigerator.
Mediterranean Zucchini Salad
This is an easy and delicious salad that is great for hot summer days. For a Mexican flare, use black beans instead of kidney, avocado instead of olives, use Mexican seasonings and use rice vinegar instead of balsamic vinegar.
1/2 cup quinoa or millet, uncooked
3 zucchini, chopped (approx. 4 cups)
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
2 cups raw corn, fresh off the cob
2 cans kidney beans or garbanzo beans, drained (or 1 can of each)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 can black olives, finely chopped
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and pepper
Boil 1 cup water in small saucepan. Add quinoa and cook 15 – 20 minutes until tender. Let cool. Place remaining ingredients in a large salad bowl. Mix in cooled grain and salt and pepper to taste.
Summer Quinoa Salad
This salad is perfect for hot summer days when you don’t want to cook. It’s fresh and light but filling. Serve with a side of steamed greens.
1 cup quinoa
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 orange bell pepper chopped
1 cucumber chopped
1 cup corn
2 tomatoes chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
1/2 red onion finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp Real Salt or sea salt
1 small avocado cubed
Bring water to boil, add quinoa, reduce heat and simmer 15–20 minutes until tender. Let cool for 10 minutes before adding to salad. While quinoa is cooking, combine all other ingredients.
Add cooled quinoa and mix well. Serves 6–8.