Quinoa Salad

Paula, a super good cook, took this photo the first time I made it

Southwest Quinoa Chopped Salad with Chicken and Creamy Salsa Dressing

Kami is one of my "Settlers" friends. When we can, a group of us play Settler of Catan on Thursday afternoon while our kids play. We laugh at how when we first started Samuel used to sit in his high chair and quietly and happily eat Cheerios. Almost three years later Samuel sure has changed. Kami told me about this great salad that she got at Wildoats. I found their recipe on line. I love to make the whole batch and keep it in the fridge for those times when I am so hungry that I either eat something lame or something delicious and healthy like this. Samuel loves this salad and I love that he loves it because it is all healthy stuff in it. Eva... not so much. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a seed that you can cook just like you cook rice. You can buy it in a box or in bulk at the health food store.

I made this for Women's Conference and packed a container for all five of us. It was a hit.

Total Time: 25 minutes Serves: 6 (6 REALLY hungry people, it makes a ton)

1 c. organic quinoa

1 tsp. sea salt

1 c. Wild Oats Medium Salsa (I used whatever kind I had)

1/4 c. organic sour cream or plain yogurt (I tried it both ways. There is so much flavor you don't miss the fat when you use yogurt.)

3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

2 tsp. Wild Oats Extra Virgin Olive Oil

juice and zest of one lime

sea salt to taste

2 c. rotisserie chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 c. Wild Oats Organic Black Beans, rinsed (I used the whole can of store brand low sodium, what else are you going to do with the 20 beans left over after you measure out 1 cup?)

1/2 organic red or orange bell pepper, diced

2 ears corn or 1 c. Wild Oats Super Sweet Organic Corn, thawed

1 avocado, chopped

1 large, ripe organic tomato, chopped

1 large head organic romaine, chopped

chopped cilantro and lime wedges for garnish

Bring 1 1/2 cups of cold water to a boil. Place quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Place quinoa and salt in boiling water. Bring back to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit covered for about 5 minutes. Drain quinoa in fine mesh strainer and set aside to cool. (I skipped all of this, bought pre-rinsed quinoa and cooked it in the rice cooker exactly like I cook rice).

Place salsa, sour cream, cilantro, olive oil, lime juice and zest in a blender. Pulse until smooth. Season with salt. Place in refrigerator to chill.

Toss cooled quinoa with chicken, beans, pepper, corn, avocado and tomato. Add just enough dressing to coat evenly. Divide romaine on six plates and top with quinoa salad mixture. Garnish with wedges of fresh lime and cilantro.