Red Quinoa Salad with Feta and Cucumber.

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a super-trendy, super-food. Almost as popular as kale. And rightfully so:

Did you know it's actually a seed , not a grain, and is more closely related to beets? Plus it's full of protein, calcium and fiber and is as easy to cook as any other grain.

As my kids head back to school today after their long winter vacation, I'm once again treated to the pleasure of tea with friends and lunches that consist of something other than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It's nice to have this time to myself for a small portion of each day, to find a moment to practice, to cook and to clean, or simply take a 10 minute savasana.



Ingredients:
(Serves 8)

1 cup red (or white) quinoa
2 cups water
1 English cucumber, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup of halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup of chopped kalamata olives
2 green onions, sliced thinly
1/2 cup of crumbled feta

For the sauce:
scant 1/3 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of red vinegar
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the quinoa and the water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and place in fridge for at least 20 minutes to cool.

Meanwhile, for the sauce, combine all of the ingredients and whisk together until well blended. Set aside.

Once your quinoa is cooled, combine the rest of the veggies and feta, stirring to combine. Toss with the sauce. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Go-To Veggie Sandwich

When I first became a vegetarian, some 10 years ago, I used to eat these all the time. Not sure why I got out of the habit, maybe because I'm not a huge sandwich eater to start with, but having one today brought back all kinds of memories.

The only thing I wish I had added (but didn't have on hand) was maybe some red onion or peppercinis.

Ingredients:

2 slices of whole grain bread

handful each of pea shoots and fresh spinach

1/2 of an avocado, sliced

1 small tomato, sliced

1 block of marinated, baked tofu, sliced (you can buy pre-packaged or make your own)

3-4 slices of cucumber

honey mustard dressing

Slather each slice of bread generously (trust me on this, be generous!) Top one slice with pea shoots, spinach and cucumber. Top the other slice with marinated tofu, tomato and avocado. Season with salt and pepper if desired and gracefully bring the two slices together. Be careful, those avocado slices are slippery little suckers and will try to escape!

Rejuvenation Salad

What a simple and easy treat. Perfect for post-yoga rejuvenation (hence the name!)

Ingredients:
1 cucumber, sliced
4 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 an avocado, diced
1 tsp each toasted sesame oil and apple cider vinegar
sea salt and pepper, to taste

Combine the veggies in a bowl and drizzle with oil and vinegar, salt and pepper.

Pita Salad

I've been branching out of my usual salad repetoire (romaine does get boring after a while) and this one is a nice little side dish, really fresh and light. We had it with a simple minestrone soup.

I cheated by using pita chips, but you could just as easily toast your own.

Ingredients:

1 cup pita chips
1 diced English cucumber
4 small tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup fresh green beans, chopped
1/2 cup smoked mozzarella, diced (optional)

Combine in a bowl and toss with sauce (recipe follows). Let set for 5-10 minutes before serving.

sauce:
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 tbsp honey
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Mix well in a small bowl .