Its Sunday. And where for most people who live with a traditional weekday/weekend distinction created by work, we don’t live like that. Each day is our own and we either do our work or we don’t. We choose. And its great, because we love what we do, but also the freedom is great and there isn’t this anxiety about what day it is or isn’t.
But I’ve been reclaiming the sanctity of Sunday of late. I stay in my PJs longer, spend most of the day indulging in blog reading, or napping or whatever else strikes my fancy. All of it always done with an intended sense of indulgence. It creates a lovely marker in an otherwise seamless week that blends into the next and the next and the next.
Today, Jon is recovering from an achy cold and I’m taking it slow in an attempt to let my body fight whatever he had thats trying to move into me. Its gorgeous outside, and I’m feeling the need to buy a hammock so I could nap outside during my Spring and Summer Sundays. But for now, we have this lovely salad. I made a huge batch of it, to nibble on throughout the day casually, and to have as leftovers for tomorrow. I love left overs!
Its easy, meaty with its hearty quinoa, and its gluten free.
::Sunday’s Quinoa Salad::
2 cups uncooked quinoa
4 cups of water
1/2 head of red cabbage chopped in ribbons
1/2 diced red onion
1 bundle of fresh cilantro chopped
1 can of organic black beans rinsed
1 small head of romaine lettuce chopped
*Dressing*
2 heaping Tbsp of Bragg’s Nutrional Yeast
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1. Bring the 4 cups of water and 2 cups of quinoa to a boil and then bring flame down to simmer. Stir occasionally and let simmer until all water is absorbed. I usually put a hearty pinch of salt and a small pour of olive oil in the pot to cook with the quinoa. No measurements here, just eye it a bit. For me it adds a little oomph.
2. When quinoa is done, set aside and let cool.
3. Take all chopped veggies and mix with quinoa in a bowl.
4. Take all the ingredients for the dressing and whisk together until thick and creamy.
5. Pour dressing over quinoa and vegetables and fold in with a wooden spoon until everything is mixed well.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Makes about 8 hearty servings.
I also recommend adding some fresh avocados to the side of this lovely dish. Its really yummy. Salad should keep in the refrigerator for 2 days.
Have a lovely and indulgent Sunday!
Lovely salad – does the romain stay ok for a couple of days? I’d think maybe keep that part out until serving. I love making dishes like these to have during the week 🙂
Suzee,
Good question. The Romaine does get softer as time wears on, but not to the point where its bad at all. Although, for those that really like a crispity crisp bite of romaine, I would recommend keeping it out until you are going to serve.
I love quinoa, your photo is beautiful and the sliced avocado is a nice touch!
mmmmm! Happy Sunday to you! Hope Jon feels better. And hope you don’t get it. {lot’s of garlic}
p.s. I love love lovedy love your new blog!
Hey love!
Jon is definitely better and I managed to keep the germs away and feel great today as well. Thanks for your continued support! <3
Such beautiful colors! I love quinoa, and I’m definitely eating this with my eyes, as they say.
What a beautiful dish. We just recently introduced quinoa into our diet and it was love at first sight. Can’t wait to try this dish.
ooo, great dish. i love the flavor combination described – it looks lovely!
OMGoodness!! I have all those ingredients NOW–and I’m super hungry!! So I’m off to the kitchen!! What a great recipe!!! Yay!
Big hugs Elena!
What a delicious healthy looking salad! I love quinoa in salads!
I’ve been looking for new side options for dinner, and I’ve especially been interested in trying new recipes with barley and quinoa. I think this looks really yummy and the avocados add an interesting twist. They must pair really nicely with the fresh cilantro and cabbage flavors. Thanks for the idea!
That is just gorgeous. Great recipe and wonderful presentation. Cheers!
This sounds and looks absolutely wonderful. I so wish I had your photog skills. I hope you had a beautiful Sunday!
Meg, thank you. Here is what I will say about photography skills. I love photography, and have been practicing for a while now. With that said, food photography, at least for me, is an entirely new level. And I find it challenging at best. I have done loads of reading on food photography. If you do a google search, you'll get a whole slew of great posts about it. They have helped, particularly with regards to lighting which up until I really started focusing on food, I had only relied on natural lighting. With all that, I practice. For every photo you see here, I've taken 10-20 photos of the same thing that just weren't even decent. Practice, practice, practice! And! I never leave the house without my camera.
With all that said, everyone has their own unique eye and style. Thats the beauty of art, we all get to interpret what we see as we see it. Composition, lighting and focus… other then those three things, the rest is up to you to make up!
Meg, thanks for the compliment. As far as photography skills I would say practice, practice, practice! And… there are great posts and articles out there on food photography, which is a totally different animal then photographing other things and people. If you do a search you'll find quite a bit! Good luck!
Lovely! I still have my quinoa and not used it. You have reminded me.
That is a beautiful salad and you have a very beautiful blog. One that inspires envy, one that I would be more than proud to call mine *sigh* ……if only!
Mama,
First, you have a great blog. Second, and I don't get paid to say this at all, but WordPress using the Thesis theme makes creating a blog super easy. There is definitely some learning to do when you want to customize some of the code, but you really don't have to. I highly recommend it!
This looks like a great salad! Great blog by the way.
Thanks Noelle!
Great recipe! The other day I bought my first bag of quinoa and I think I'll try your recipe out .
Let me know how it goes!
I just love quinoa. Great recipe you have there.
Thank you Divina…
Have I mentioned that I love your name? 🙂
Elena, I didn't even know about quinoa up until last week, when I was asked to test and shoot a few recipes for a local food magazine; it's been a very pleasant surprise . I shall definitely try out this recipe of yours ver soon; it looks healthy and yummy at the same time.
Love your blog! Cheers, Dario
Dario,
Its a great grain. Out of South America I believe. Its high in fiber and protein and of course gluten free which makes it a great thing for me. I'm learning to use it in more dishes and will continue to share my experiments as they happen.
The salad looks delish…and I applaud your PJ wearing, blog reading, indulgent Sundays!
🙂 I highly recommend this kind of Sunday!
I sure love this salad 😀
I just love your Food Photos, you have a real talent! My daughter just graduated and is looking at a career in photography. Love your blog!
Sadly I am one that is forced to enjoy my Sundays soley as a result of a tradtional week. Regardless, Sundays are a perfect day for doing nothing… or everything… but either way, eating is always involved at our house. I have been reading about quinoa, thinking about quinoa, but NOT eating it for almost a year. I have to try it. This looks like a good place to start. 🙂
Holly, It took me a while to come around to Quinoa as well. No reason in particular, just something new. But its been a great replacment for couscous for me because of the gluten in couscous, but also finding out that its so high in nutrients, much more then couscous made a good sell for me. Try it. You'll certainly love it.
Hi there, you have a lovely blog here! Love all your photos and your quinoa looks really appertizing. hmm…mm…. Can't wait to see more…. Have a great day!
Cheers, Kristy
That looks yummy
Love the bright purple and green colors together! That looks delicious.
This looks divine!!! I'm always looking for different recipes for quinoa. Once you start eating it, you seriously can't stop. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Great plan for Sundays. I'm a big quinoa fan. Love this recipe!