Quinoa Taco Salad

Quinoa Taco Salad
By The Gluten Free Goddess
WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com

My vegan quinoa taco salad is sans tomatoes. And bean-free. No customary black beans here. But if you love black beans with a white hot passion, add 'em in. You can also add crumbled goat cheese on top, if you desire.

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa cooked in two cups water
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Juice from 2 juicy limes
Sea salt, to taste
2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
1 half small red or purple onion, diced fine
1 small yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, diced fine
1 cup roasted corn kernels (I used frozen, roasted on a cookie sheet for 6-7 minutes,
then cooled)
1 large head of crisp romaine lettuce, washed, dried, sliced crosswise
Gluten-free tortilla chips
1 large avocado, pitted, peeled, diced

Instructions:
Cook the quinoa per package instructions. Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork. Scoop the quinoa into a bowl.

Drizzle the cooked quinoa with extra virgin olive oil and toss to coat. Squeeze on fresh lime juice and toss again. Season the mixture with sea salt, to taste.

Add in the fresh chopped cilantro, diced red onion, diced yellow pepper, and roasted corn kernels. Stir lightly to distribute. Taste test for seasoning adjustments.

Line four salad bowls or plates with the fresh romaine. Spoon the quinoa salad on the center of the lettuce. Add the diced avocado to each plate. Tuck in a few tortilla chips around the edges.

Serve with an extra lime wedge.

More Options:
Add a cup of chilled, drained black beans, if you like your taco salad super hearty.
Add sliced red or yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, if you desire.
Sprinkle with the cheese of your choice.
Serve with your favorite salsa on the side.

Total Servings: 4

Nutritional Information Per Serving:
Calories: 240
Carbohydrates: 41.2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Fat: 4.4g
Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
Fiber: 5.4g
Sodium: 24 mg
Protein: 6.7 g

For more recipes go to Foodily.com ~ Find more WebMD recipes on the Recipe Finder

Teriyaki Pasta Spinach Salad

My coworker had this for lunch it looked sooo good I had to ask her for the recipe!

Teriyaki Pasta Spinach Salad

1 bag (10 oz.) spinach
2-3 green onions, sliced
1/4 c. fresh parsley
1/3 c. craisins (I put in a few more!)
1/3 c. honey roasted peanuts (I put in a few more!)
1 can mandarin oranges, drained (I cut each segment in half just to make more pieces in my salad.)
1-2 c. cooked, cut-up chicken (or 1 large can chicken breast)
1 box (12-16 oz.) bow tie pasta (You're actually supposed to use 1/2 this amount but I don't know if it was because I used the mini-size pasta or what but the whole box seemed just right...especially after I took 1/3 out to save for the next day.)

Dressing:
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. Teriyaki sauce
1/3 c. rice vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Prepare the dressing ahead of time and refrigerate overnight. (Mine got about two hours of refrigeration and it was just as good as the 1/3 I reserved for the next day.) Mix all salad ingredients together and add dressing just before serving.

- Parmesan cheese can also be added….

My Mom made this and the family said it was really good.