There are times when the garden produces a little of this and a little of that. In the fall, I pick about a cup or two of small sprouts (tiny heads) off the broccoli plants every other day. The Maxibelle green beans are still producing a few beans, as are the summer squash. There are peppers, cucumbers, kale and assorted other greens to be found as well. Small amounts of garden vegetables are perfect for making a Quinoa Salad.

I use my standard lemon vinaigrette salad dressing (recipe below) and cook the quinoa according to package directions. Then I chop all the veggies I have into small pieces. Here’s the salad I made last week.

Here are the ingredients I used in my Quinoa Salad. Use what’s available in your garden or according to your taste! I had zucchini, green beans, broccoli, chives and parsley.

Cook the quinoa according to directions. This is one of the “tri-color” mixes of quinoa.

Let the quinoa cool to almost room temperature and then add the finely chopped herbs.

Sauté all the chopped vegetables in a little olive oil until just barely cooked. You want them still firm but not raw tasting. It only takes a few minutes and they should be stirred frequently, so stay near the stove.

Cool the cooked vegetables and then add them to the quinoa and herbs. Toss with the salad dressing of your choice. The recipe for the dressing I used below. I always aim for about equal amounts of quinoa and vegetables in a salad like this.

Recipe for Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

This recipe will make more than you need for this dish. I make up a mason jar of this dressing frequently and keep it in the refrigerator. I used about a third of a cup of the dressing on the quinoa salad.

2/3 cup flavorful olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Juice of one large lemon
2 teaspoons honey mustard
1 clove smashed raw garlic or roasted garlic (use roasted if you don’t like a strong raw garlic taste
salt and pepper to taste

Combine these in a mason jar and shake well.

Quinoa is a member of the goosefoot family of plants and is related to spinach and many of our common weeds. To read more about this seed that we commonly treat as a grain, click here.