good grains salad (aka Gracie's Sound Of Music Salad)

A quick, delicious lunch to have on hand for the rest of the week. Basically, I took Gracie's favorite things to eat (get it? sound of music...favorite things?) and mixed them together to welcome her home from school this week. Come on Emily, time to go get Sis!

good grains salad:

2 cups french lentils

1 cup quinoa

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped parsley

Quinoa Tabouleh

With so many great cucumbers, tomatoes and parsley at the farmer's market (and hopefully our garden soon) I can;t seem to get enough tabouleh. We were heading to a birthday party on the fourth of July and with the traditional bulgar wheat not working, quinoa came to the rescue. I think I may even like it better. Quinoa is a complete protein too so it is better for you as well.

Quinoa Tabouleh:

1 cup quinoa (I used red and white)

cook with 2 cups water 20 minutes or so

chopped tomatoes

chopped cucumbers

chopped parsley

lots of lemon juice

olive oil

Salmon, Beans, Sweet Potatoes and Quinoa

Finally, I am feeling well enough to cook again. I am so tired of eating out so we are cooking lots of things tonight. Baked salmon, roasting sweet potatoes (diced and tossed in evoo), Bean so green from trader Joe's (cooking time 15 min on stovetop, quinoa with veg broth, pine nuts and raisins.
A very quick and easy meal I must say. I am not sure why I don't make it more often. Once the potatoes are cut it takes 30 minutes.

DIY: It would be a good idea to freeze the Bean so Green yourself in a ziploc (green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, romanesco, peas, butter, garlic, shallots) TJ's is light on everything but beans.