Italian Quinoa Salad

I created this simple, hearty, allergen-friendly salad to take to a party. It can be tough to know what to contribute when attending a party, so I find that simple, universally appealing dishes that accommodate almost anyone’s food preferences are a good bet. In this case, I knew my host was making pizza, so the flavors of this dish would pair well with the rest of the food served. This salad is robust enough serve as a main dish if there are not many other vegetarian options. It is gluten free, nut free, could be dairy free by substituting coconut or another oil for the ghee. It incorporates Italian spices, which just about everyone enjoys. It is healthy and satisfying. It takes less than 30 minutes to make. What’s not to love?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa

• 2 tbsp. ghee

• 2 tbsp. olive oil

• 2 medium sized zucchini, sliced (if making in late spring or summer when this vegetable is in season) Use 1 head of chopped broccoli florets in winter or early spring

• 1-2 tsp. Italian spice blend

• 1/2 bunch fresh basil, cut into ribbons (chiffon), about 1/2 cup

• 2 cups cooked chick peas (1 can), drained and rinsed

• juice of 1 lemon

• salt and pepper to taste

*Start by cooking the 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups water. Bring water to a boil, then simmer on low for 15 minutes until all water is absorbed.

While quinoa is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons ghee until melted. Stir in the Italian seasoning and warm spices until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Then add zucchini or broccoli, and cook 8-10 minutes longer until the vegetable softens. I happened to have rainbow chard stems on hand, so I chopped them up as well to add some color. Bell peppers would also work. Feel free to improvise, get creative, and use what’s readily available seasonally.

Rinse basil, then stack leaves neatly. Roll into a tight roll, and then thinly slice the leaves into ribbons.

Toss quinoa and cooked chickpeas together. Then fold in the zucchini or broccoli with the basil and dress with 2 tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chill until ready to serve. This salad is easy to make up ahead of time, travels well, and can also be served at room temperature.

*If making the chickpeas from dried beans, soak overnight and cook ahead so they’re ready to toss in this recipe.