Welcome to Talin's Tasty Treats!
Today we are talking about my favorite go-to salad great for any meal and any season. Since it's officially BBQ season and always hot here in Vegas, this light and easy salad is my favorite thing to make. It's a huge bonus for me because my 2.5 year old likes to eat it too! I believe it's a great base to start if you plan on adding other fun ingredients to build it up to be a feature salad of the meal. And don't worry, no soggy lettuce found here... so it's great if you have any leftovers, or plan on including this to your meal prep of the week!
Plus, it's a vegetarian and vegan-friendly too.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups of Quinoa (follow instructions on package to cook)
- 2-3 cups Colorful Bell Peppers (reds, yellows, oranges)
- 1 bunch of Cilantro
- 1 bunch of flat leaf Parsley
- 2-3 Green Onions
- 1/4 tsp of Salt & Pepper to taste
- Dressing: Juice of 1 lemon (depends on the size of the lemon) and about 1/2 cup of Olive Oil (or your preference of salad oils, some prefer Avocado oil)
- Optional: If I'm planning on eating this just as a meal itself for a light and filling lunch, then I LOVE adding some avocados, marinated artichokes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and some olives for extra salty bite. The choice is yours on your favorite add-on's. Chop it or slice it to bite size pieces and Bon Appétit!
- Cook the Quinoa as it recommends on the package. In the meantime, grab a bowl and let's get chopping!
- Diced up about 2-3 cups of the colorful bell peppers. I love the colorful ones. It adds some brightness to the meal and it's not spicy at all.
- Finely chop up the bunch of Cilantro and Parsley. (Don't include the stems)
- Slice up all the green onions in small pieces. Add all ingredients into the bowl and set aside.
- After Quinoa is cooked, placed it into a large container, and set aside in the refrigerator to cool for at least 30 mins-1 hr.
- When it's cooled down and/or ready to serve, add in all the ingredients from the bowl and roughly toss them together. Now add the olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper. I would do the juice of half a lemon first to see how it would taste (depends on the size of the lemon cause it shouldn't be sour). Toss again and have a quick bite. Adjust the dressing to taste and it's ready to serve! Enjoy!
