^[1]This quinoa salad is perfect in the late spring and summer when vegetables are at their best.  Light and healthy, this is a real
crowd pleaser.  If you are in the mood for pasta, try substituting quinoa pasta in place of the quinoa. Contributed by Wendy Polisi, reprinted from Cooking Quinoa. ^[2]

Serves: 6

• 3 cups cooked quinoa ^[3]
• 1 each yellow, green and red bell pepper,
  cored and sliced in strips
• 1 red onion, sliced thin
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 2/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
• 14 ounces artichoke hearts
• 6 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon mineral sea salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup basil leaves, chopped thin

In a large bowl combine quinoa, peppers, red onion, grape tomatoes, olives and artichoke hearts.

In a small bowl make dressing by combining garlic, vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  Add in olive oil and combine until emulsified.  Toss with quinoa mixture and top with fresh basil.

Make it quick: Purchase olives that are already pitted and sliced and instead of the vegetables listed here choose whatever vegetables that you can find pre-sliced at your grocery store.  You could also choose to make it with a purchased vinaigrette dressing, or just use whatever homemade dressing that you have on hand!

Make it cleaner: Skip the olive oil in the dressing and instead use chia gel. Remember chia pets?  Well, these seeds now have a whole new role… in your kitchen. Chia seeds are loaded with essential fatty acids, antioxidants and phytonutrients.  They slow the absorption of carbohydrates into the blood stream and chia gel makes a great substitution of olive oil in salad dressings.  To make it, combine 1/3 cup chia seeds with 2 cups of water.  Pulse in your blender and allow to sit for 20 minutes, pulsing every 5 minutes or so. Store for up  to a week in the refrigerator and use 1:1 as a replacement for all or part of the olive oil in any salad dressing recipe you choose.

Make it gluten free: Olives and artichoke hearts are typically gluten free, but its always a good idea to double check.

Here are more:

• quinoa recipes ^[4]
• grain salads ^[5]