Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas and Arugula

This salad, based on a recipe from one of Curtis Stone's cookbooks,  is very easy once you get through with the vegetable prep work.

Ingredients:

2 cups arugula
1 cup of quinoa
2 cups of  low sodium vegetable broth
1 English cucumber, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 red pepper, diced

Directions:

Add quinoa and vegetable broth to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until quinoa is cooked and the liquid has disappeared. Allow quinoa to cool.

Mix chopped vegetables, chickpeas, quinoa, and arugula together. Top with a pre-made dressing, or a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

This salad would also be good topped with some savory baked tofu for dinner.

Panzanella salad

Panzanella salads are one of my top 5 favorite spring/summer foods. I have been feeling a bit cheated by the tantalizing taste of spring we had the other week. 70-80 degree sunshine followed by 40 degree rain is a bit depressing. So to cheer myself up, I whipped up this summer special a little early. Serve with a glass of rose to really get in the springtime spirit!


Ingredients:

1 box cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 loaf of stale country bread (a baguette would also work here), torn into bite size pieces
1 green pepper, cut into small 1/2 inch pieces
1 English cucumber, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tsp salt
2 teaspoons herbs de province
1/3 cup of good olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper

Directions:

Add vegetables and bread to a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the olive oil, herbs de Provence, vinegar, and salt. Toss vegetables with dressing and salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld before eating.


*Note: While most recipes call for garlic and basil in panzanella salads, I like to skip the garlic and add a bit of herbs de Provence to make the dish a bit more simple and pure. Using really good ingredients and olive oil is important though, since those flavors really take the spotlight!