Quinoa and Fruit Salad for One

It's summertime, and there are many wonderful fruits available. For this salad, I used blueberries and pomegranates, but nectarines, strawberries, plums, and other berries are marvelous additions, and you might add a little avocado if you have one handy. 

         
           1/3 cup uncooked quinoa

2/3 cup water

1 inch carrot, in small cubes

1 inch cucumber, in small cubes (peel it if you like)

1 radish, in small cubes

1 green onion, diced

4 snap peas, chopped (or a ¼ cup of fresh peas)

¼ cup fresh blueberries

1/8 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

1/8 cup pistachio nut meats

Dressing

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Juice of one lemon wedge (about a teaspoon, maybe 2)

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon agave or maple syrup

A pinch of garlic powder

A pinch of salt

1.5 teaspoons grapeseed oil (or olive oil)

½ TBSLP poppy seeds

1. Rinse and thoroughly drain the quinoa. Add the quinoa and water to a small pot and bring it to a boil. Turn down the heat, cover, and cook until the water is all boiled away. Don’t let it burn! This takes about 10 minutes.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, make the dressing and prepare the veggies and fruit to toss in the bowl.
3. To make the dressing, put all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk. You may want to adjust the salt once you’ve dressed the salad.
4. Put the quinoa in the bowl with the veggies and toss, then drizzle the dressing over it and toss again. Can be eaten at room temperature (my favorite) or refrigerate for a bit. 

Fennel and Mushroom Salad for One

I love this salad! The mushrooms are fabulous with a nice citrus zing to them, and the crunch of the fennel is refreshing too. 

If you have a mandolin to slice the mushrooms and fennel, you’ll get an elegant slice. Careful work with a sharp knife also works just fine.

Dressing

1 TBLSP extra-virgin olive oil

            1 small clove garlic, pressed

            ½ TBLSP chopped FRESH tarragon

            Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Marinade

            ½ teaspoon lemon zest

1 TBLSP fresh lemon juice

            Salt to taste

Salad

            2 mushrooms, thinly sliced

            2/3 cup of the root and stalk of a fennel bulb, slivered and cut to bite-size

            1 TBSPL of the fronds from a fennel bulb, chopped finely

            1 thin slice of yellow onion, slivered

1.      In a tiny bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, tarragon, salt, and pepper to make the dressing. Set aside

2.      In a small bowl, stir the lemon juice and salt together until the salt is dissolved. This is the marinade.

3.     Add the mushrooms to the marinade and let them soak up that nice juice while you slice the fennel and onion. Add those on top without stirring.

4.      Pour the dressing over the top of it all and mix gently. 

    A larger serving in a non-vegan variation (with cheese) is on my website here: http://melaniespiller.com/lavender_223.htm