Quinoa is an ancient grain that is a good gluten-free source of protein, iron, and fiber. My good friend, Denise, introduced me to the versatility and nutrition that quinoa offers, and I particularly like using it in cold summer salads.

Impromptu Quinoa Salad

I wanted to use up some items out of the fridge and put this salad together really quickly. I first cooked 1 cup of quinoa (I actually used a blend of white quinoa, millet, red quinoa and buckwheat) as per the package directions and set it aside to cool.  In a large mixing bowl with the cooled quinoa, I added the following:

• 14 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 large radishes, cut in quarters, then thinly sliced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 cup spinach, cut very fine
• 1/2 cup cucumber, diced
• 1/4 cup roasted almonds, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, cut in quarters
• handful of dried cranberries
• handful of dried Montmorency cherries
• 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning (replace with fresh herbs, finely chopped, if available)
• 1/4 cup of Mediterranean Vinaigrette (I used a brilliant product from Hummingbird Fine Foods which is a classic red wine vinaigrette spiced with Greek oregano and rich, toasted cumin)
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• sea salt, to taste

Simple and simply delicious! Enjoy!