Quinoa Vegetable Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing

I was looking for something summery-y that would keep well for lunches throughout the week, and I came upon this salad. Quinoa is filling and healthy and this recipe is really easy to modify with whatever veggies you crave or have on hand. This dish can be used as a side in a larger meal, or as a meal in itself. Here’s my version:

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

1 cup uncooked quinoa

15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

4 roma tomatoes

1 orange bell pepper

1 ½ cups corn (I used frozen & thawed)

3 green onions

1 zucchini

For the Dressing:

(Once I saw how much salad this makes, I doubled the recipe so I ended up using these measurements).

4 tbsp. olive oil

1 lemon, juiced (or, 4ish tbsp. lemon juice)

AS MUCH BASIL AS YOU WANT

Garnishes:

I like to eat this on a bed of spinach with feta on top.

Directions:

1.       Rinse & cook quinoa according to the instructions. Let it cool while you do the other stuff.

2.       Whisk dressing ingredients together.

3.       Chop all veggies.

4.       Throw everything together, pour dressing over top, mix well to combine.

5.       Serve immediately; or, chill it and save for later. This makes a huge Tupperware container-full, so there’s plenty for leftovers.

6.       Enjoy your summer garden in a bowl.

Photo from The Garden Grazer

Baked Oatmeal

Whether I'm making it for Dave and I, my inlaws, or 40 of us young adults on the retreat, this recipe always seems to be a hit! I serve it with milk and fresh fruit, but you could also add yogurt or almond butter if that suits your fancy. Happy eating!

Baked Oatmeal

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats (if you use gluten free oats, add 10 min to the cooking time)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup dried fruit - I like dried blueberries, cranberries and golden raisins (optional)
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tablespoons oil
1 egg (beaten)

Combine oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and optional dried fruit and nuts in a medium bowl.
Combine milk, applesauce, oil and egg in a separate bowl. Add to oat mixture; stir well.
Pour into a greased 8 x 8-inch baking pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350F for 25 minutes. Serve warm with milk. Serves 3-4.
This recipe can be prepared quickly in the morning by mixing the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately the night before. Combine and pop in the oven as soon as you get up. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator and can be reheated in the microwave in individual bowls.