Quinoa Salad

Light and Delicious - Quinoa Salad 

This recipe is actually from the Ultimate Reset. It is the 21 day reset program that Beachbody has for those looking to get a handle on their nutrition and eating habits. 

This salad is perfect for lunch or dinner. The Quinoa is a great source of protein.  It is high in protein, calcium, and iron, quinoa is a great alternative to rice.  If you are new to quinoa and are not sure where to get it, you can most often find it in the grocery store near the rice.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Himalayan salt or Bragg Liquid Aminos to taste
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp finely minced fresh parsley
1 tbsp finely minced fresh mint leaves
1/4 large ripe tomato, diced
1/4 large cucumber, peeled and diced
2 tbsp chopped pitted kalamata olives

Directions

Toss quinoa with olive oil, salt or bragg liquid aminos, and lemon juice, mixing well.  Gently fold in parsley and mint, followed by remaining ingredients.  Cover and chill for 1 hour.  Serves 1.

Fresh Summer Salad with Creamy Cashew Dressing

Fresh & Fruity Summer Salad

This has been the LONGEST winter ever! We basically skipped spring here in Happy Valley! Yesterday it was even snowing! I have been craving fresh summer foods for months now so I decided to whip up a salad that would remind me of the warm sunny days ahead of me. I also wanted to get creative and make up a new dressing. I used Pinterest and decided to make a spin off of some that I came across so here is what I came up with. 

Salad Ingredients
Fresh lettuce (I love Romaine but any kind would do, baby spinach would taste great too!)
Feta Cheese
Pecans or Walnuts
Grapes
Blueberries

Chicken Ingredients 
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Coconut oil 
Herb de provence seasoning 
Pink sea salt and black pepper 

Dressing Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons  organic cashew butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

• 3 tablespoons water

• 1 tablespoon stoneground mustard

• ½ tablespoon raw honey

• ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste

• ½ teaspoon garlic

Combine salad ingredients in the bowl and set aside.  Cut chicken breast into bite size pieces. On the stove top -  pan cook the chicken. I like to cook mine in coconut oil for a nice tropical taste. Season the chicken and cook until its browned. Add to salad when you are finished cooking it.

To prepare the dressing combine ingredients in a food processor and blend until creamy. Enjoy!
Tastes great as a dipping sauce too! My son is not a salad fan so he used the dressing as a dip for his chicken.