Daily salad

Several of my friends have asked what I live on (eat).  I have Celiacs, but I am also highly allergic to wheat, and many other foods, including dairy products, plus, I do not eat beef or pork (for my own reasons).  I also do not leave my gallery for lunch.  I try to be good and take a healthy lunch, but that doesn't always work out.  I have found the easiest thing for me to do, is to prepare a large cold salad that I can take with me and leave in the refrigerator and eat on it during the week.  So, I thought that I would share.

When it comes to recipes, I do not measure.  Plus, this you could modify in so many ways to suit your tastes.

The first thing is to make a pot of Quinoa.  We buy quinoa in bulk from the market.  You fix it just like rice.  One cup of quinoa to two cups of water (I add a dash of olive oil, too).  Bring it to a boil, cover, turn on low and cook for 15 minutes.  Very easy.  If you are not familiar with quinoa, it is the only grain that is a complete protein, so it is like eating a big piece of red meat without all the bad stuff.

 

While the quinoa is cooking, I chop up three carrots, three celery stalks, and three cloves of garlic (yes, I love garlic).  I also dump in a medium size can (3.8 oz) of drained, sliced black olives, and a regular size can of salad beans.

 

I use the organic beans that are a mix of kidney, pinto, and garbanzo beans.  I have found a number of products that add wheat, but these do not.  These beans are a good source of iron and they are high in fiber!

Next, you mix in the quinoa.  I like to wait till it is a bit cooled off, because all the other ingredients are already cold.

Next I dump a bunch (I don't measure) of Balsamic Vinaigrette in the salad until it evenly coats everything.  I use the Kraft Lite BV, again, theirs does not contain wheat or dairy products.  Plus, the Lite doesn't have very much fat in it.

I eat my Quinoa Salad on corn chip Tostitos Scoops.  Because I do not add any salt to the salad, this gives it a nice flavor, plus adds texture.  I also add my hot pepper sauce to give it some zip.  (You can find that recipe at http://www.liquidambarstudio.blogspot.com/2012/08/homemade-hot-pepper-sauce.html

This recipe can be modified in so many ways.  Add a can of corn or black beans instead of the salad beans, or .... (the list goes on and on).  But, if you want to add fresh green peppers, only add to the portion that you are going to eat right away.  The peppers can go bad quickly and it will spoil the rest of the salad.  Because this has the vinaigrette in it, the salad can last for quite a while. 

If you use all of the garlic that I do, make sure that this goes into a sealed container when you put it in the refrigerator.  If you just use plastic wrap or aluminum foil, your whole refrigerator will stink the next day!