So you want to eat healthier but you’re not sure where to begin? A good place to start is revamping your lunch.
Lunch is easy to overlook, inconveniently located smack-dab in the middle of the day. This means you might be tempted by anything you can grab on the go, often a processed-deli-meat sandwich or a deceptively-labeled energy bar.
Since a long lunch and an afternoon siesta are not likely to become a part of our culture anytime soon, the best routine you can get into is to make a big batch of a veggie-loaded whole-grain salad on Sunday evenings. My go-to is a seasonal quinoa salad that I pack with whatever veggies I have left over from our weekly farm share and toss with my favorite lemon miso dressing.
Below is a recipe guide for creating your own quinoa salad. Keep the basics in mind (grain + veggies + dressing) and you really can’t go wrong with mixing and matching. Once you’ve made this recipe a couple of times, you’ll be able to accomplish it in 30 minutes or less.
DIY Quinoa Salad
Yield: 5-6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa or other favorite intact grain (farro, wild rice, wheat berries)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- kombu seaweed (optional, cook a 2-inch piece with the quinoa to make more digestible)
- 2 cups favorite seasonal vegetables, chopped (green beans, cucumber, kale, tomatoes, fennel, arugula, leftover grilled veggies, etc)
- 1 cup favorite beans (optional, black beans or chickpeas)
- something salty (feta, parmesan, olives or capers)
- something crunchy (chopped walnuts, almonds or sunflower seeds)
- salt and pepper
Dressing
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon miso paste, white or yellow
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
Rinse quinoa and place in a pot with water, kombu and salt. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Discard kombu. Transfer to a large bowl to cool.
Whisk together the garlic, miso, lemon juice and olive oil and pour over quinoa.
Chop the veggies and toss with the dressing and quinoa. Mix in any additional favorite ingredients like beans, nuts, seeds, cheese, olives, etc.
Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Cover and chill in the fridge.
Elyse Kopecky is a social media and digital technology consultant based in Portland, OR. After 10 years working for NIKE and EA SPORTS in Portland, Amsterdam and Geneva she briefly left her desk job for the chance to study culinary nutrition at the Natural Gourmet Institute in NYC. Follow her adventures in the kitchen and on the trail at freshabits.com and @freshabits.