One of my favorite things to make for BBQ's is an "everything but the kitchen sink" pasta salad. I boil up all the odds and ends of leftover pasta, chop up all almost empty jars of olives and pickled vegetables, add bits of meats and cheeses from the lunch-meat drawer, finely chop up what's left in the vegetable crisper, and toss with the 17 almost-empty bottles of vinaigrette taking up the entire fridge door. It's always different, yet always delicious.
Now that I'm on such a restrictive diet, I can't use my go-to "recipe" for the summer BBQ season. So instead of focusing on what I CAN'T have, I looked at what I CAN have. I had a box of quinoa in my pantry and decided to make a quinoa "pasta" salad and only use what I had on hand. It turned out so good. My hubby said it was "light and refreshing." You will probably want to double the recipe for your next potluck because it's that good!
Quinoa "Pasta" Salad
1c quinoa, rinsed throughly, prepared according to package directions (can be made ahead of time and chilled)
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 cucumber, seeded, peeled and diced
12 large basil leaves, cut into ribbons
4 c baby spinach, chopped
1 can artichoke heart quarters, drained
1 can black olives, drained
Dressing
1/4 c garlic flavored olive oil
1/4 c raw apple cider vinegar
1 tsp herbs de provonce
fresh ground salt and pepper
Mix together cooked quinoa, carrots, green onions, cucumber, basil, spinach, artichoke hearts, and olives. Pour dressing over top and mix together. Cover and chill or serve immediately.
This looks really yummy!
ReplyDeleteSounds yummy! I just pinned it for later :)
ReplyDelete