Monday, March 28, 2011

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad, Apples With Celery Leaves

Using up some vegetables before they spoiled, I made this simple roasted vegetable quinoa salad. Not much to it. Anything could be used really. This isn't really a recipe, it's just an idea.


Coarsely chop vegetables, here is a red bell pepper, zucchini, and small eggplant. 


Prepare the roasting pan with sprinkles of olive oil, season vegetables lightly with salt and pepper, squeeze juice from half a lemon. Roast in 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes until vegetables soften a little but not mushy.


Sprinkle with some minced fresh oregano, which is all I had. I think thyme would be really nice also.


Cook quinoa according to directions.  Here, I infused the water with fresh lemon and a sprig of oregano.


When done, mix it all together and serve over lettuce or pasta.


I sprinkled extra virgin olive oil and more lemon juice over the top before serving. I didn't think of it then, but a little balsamic or apple cider vinegar might be nice.


My kids liked it, my daughter loved it. And she actually told me that she appreciated the fresh food after eating out all weekend!

They preferred it with their favorite salad dressing. I served it with grated parmesan cheese, but feta would have been great. Or yogurt.


I also wanted to use up the apples before they went bad, so I sliced them up and sprinkled some chopped celery leaves on top.