I made a really delicious lunch today – meat-free, very healthy and best of all – delicious! This one is going in the lunch time rotation (it would make a nice light dinner as well).

The recipe comes from the Gluten Free Goddess, whose blog you should check out. Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related foods like barley and rye, and can’t be digested by people with celiac disease. I have 3 family members who have celiac’s so I’m always on the lookout for good, gluten free recipes.

Also, I’m on a huge quinoa kick. It is so good, very healthy, and useable in lots of different meals.

To make the Quinoa Salad:

1 cup organic quinoa
salt
2 good handfuls of baby spinach leaves, washed, drained, maybe chopped
1 large ripe pear, cut into pieces
1/2 cup chilled chick peas, rinsed, drained
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (I omitted)
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
A handful of pecans (toasted if you want)

Dressing:
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

I rinsed well and added 1 cup of quinoa to a saucepan, then 2 cups of water. Cover and boil, then turn down to a low simmer until all the water is evaporated and the quinoa is tender (about 15-20 minutes). Fluff with a fork and dump into a large bowl.
Chop, rinse, and prepare your spinach leaves, pear, and chick peas, then add to the bowl.
Whisk oil, balsamic vinegar, and syrup (I increased these by 1 T each from the original recipe) and mix into salad. Season with salt and pepper, then add pecans.
Original recipe: Quinoa Salad with Pears, Baby Spinach and Chick Peas in a Maple Vinaigrette

Roasted Chickpeas

I roasted my leftover chickpeas the following day to use them up. Just drizzle about 1/2 T of oil, 1t garlic powder, 1/2 t curry powder, and 1/2 t cumin over the leftover ones. Close up the container, give it a good shake, then dump onto a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.
Nice and crunchy and a healthier snack than chips or pretzels!

The last week was a blur of Bluesfest, which I haven’t blogged about TOO much since I haven’t been bringing my big honking camera, and while I probably had more fun, a post without pictures is not my style. I did get to see the Roots, Ben Harper and Steve Miller, as well as lots of smaller acts that I liked just as much!

Later this week I’ll be posting a great behind the scenes post about Bluesfest – watch for it on Thursday!

In the meantime, I’ve been intending to start trying the meat free Monday thing. I love meat and I don’t think I could live without steak, but eating lots of veggies is good too (and probably cheaper!) Plus we are going to see Mr. Paul McCartney live in Montreal later in July, so why not jump on his Meat Free Mondays bandwagon?

This is a pasta salad type dish I make once in awhile – the stuff tortellini makes it a bit more filling than your average pasta salad.

Spinach Tortellini Salad

350g package of cheese tortellini
1 small pepper, or 1 cup tomatoes
10 oz spinach, chopped
½ cup Italian dressing
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
½ t garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Makes 4 servings

Directions:

Boil water with a pinch of salt and add tortellini, bring back to a boil and cook for 6-8 minutes. In the meantime, chop up veggies. Combine Italian dressing, cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Drain the pasta and add fresh spinach, letting it steam and wilt for 5 minutes. Then toss with veggies and dressing. That’s it!

This is good hot, but I also like it as a cold pasta salad. Enjoy!