Roasted Veggie Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Remember we are talking meatless meals this month.  Why should we eat less meat? Meat consumption in this country is out of control! The United States meat consumption is one of the highest in the world. Also, 80% of the country’s antibiotics are being used on livestock, which in turn is causing resistance for humans when they need the medications to treat illnesses. If you can’t eat organic meat, this is another reason to eat less meat.  Finally, there is a global movement out there called, Meatless Mondays and they share other various health and environmental reasons to eat less meat.  In 2012 on the blog, I decided to devote the month of March to “no meat entrees”. We ate Balsamic Penne with Shrimp, Veggie Sandwiches, Tuna Salad Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce, Roasted Veggie Soup and Crispy Tilapia with Mango Salsa.  This month we have eaten Spinach and Walnut Pesto Orzo and Springtime Salad with Candied Almonds and Balsamic Dressing. I will continue on this week with another easy meatless meal - Roasted Veggie Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette. You might notice some similar ingredients from our salad last week in this dish. I love buying ingredients and using them in multiple dishes so we don’t waste! If you meal plan, add these both to the same week.

Have you heard of quinoa? It has been popular for a few years and I first talked about it when I started this blog back in 2011. The recipe I made was Stuffed Peppers with Sausage and Quinoa. I will say the peppers were pretty darn good, but today I am going a little lighter. If you would like to learn a bit more about this food, be sure to read the post here. Before we get started though, I have to share this commercial I saw during football season this past fall. Pretty funny!

Quinoa is actually pronounced keen-wa and I promise you this salad doesn’t taste like a dirty old tree branch or a loofa.

Roasted Veggie Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Quinoa,1 c

Asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces, 1 ½ c

Cherry tomatoes, 2 c

Mushrooms, 1 c finely chopped (this was about 3 mushrooms for me)

Garlic, 6 cloves

Shallot, 1

Oil,  salt and pepper

Parsley, ¼ c (optional)

Dressing ingredients:

Lemon, 2, zest and juice

Dijon mustard, 2 tsp

Honey, 1 tsp

Extra virgin olive oil, ¼ c

Salt, ¼ tsp

Fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Add asparagus pieces, whole tomatoes, chopped mushroom, chopped shallot, and garlic cloves left in their skin to a baking sheet(s) trying to spread out as much as possible. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes.

While veggies are roasting, add quinoa to a pot with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until liquid absorbed.

Prepare dressing ingredients in a large bowl. 

When veggies are done cooking, remove garlic from its skin and chop. 

Then add all the quinoa and veggies to the bowl with the dressing and stir to coat. Add chopped parsley.

Serve hot or room temperature. Perfect for outdoor BBQs, that I hope we all we get to enjoy soon as the weather continues to get nicer! See you all next week.

~Ashley