It was a really busy weekend for me but I’m not complaining at all, In fact I’m really sad that it’s over. I spent two days with a group of talented people at a photography workshop hosted by Todd and Diane from White On Rice Couple. I really want to tell you all about it (and there’s tons to share) but I’ll write about it soon!
In the meantime, you can turn your attention to this hipster-healthy quinoa salad. The super-grain is mixed with fresh green beans, roasted garlic cloves, yellow squash and marinated artichokes. Let me share a secret…the salad dressing is actually the oil that the artichokes are packed in. I had trouble trying to come up with a dressing to mix the salad together, when it was right in front of me. The artichokes came from Trader Joe’s but you could probably pick up the same thing at any store. There’s no rules with this dressing as long as the artichokes are in a 12 ounce jar. Guys, I L.O.V.E grain salads, you’ll find a bunch on my blog. They’re easy to make, fill up my belly and healthy!
Quinoa Salad with Green Beans and Artichokes
Ingredients
- 10 cloves garlic peeled (if some are really big, you can cut them in half)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup uncooked pre-packaged quinoa
- 8 ounce green beans
- 1/2 yellow squash
- ounce One 12 jar of marinated artichokes not in a can
- 1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
- 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cracked black pepper
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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Lay the garlic cloves on a baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil. Place in the oven and roast for about 10-12 minutes, checking and moving them around at the 5 minute mark. let them cool when golden brown and soft.
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Follow the package directions to make the quinoa and then let it cool once it's done. You can keep it in the fridge to help speed things up.
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Slice the green beans in thirds and add to a pot of boiling water. Boil for two minutes and then transfer the beans to a bowl filled with ice water. Drain and set aside.
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Cut the squash into thin strips.
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Transfer the cool quinoa to a large bowl and add the green beans, squash, garlic, the whole artichoke jar contents, sunflower seeds, balsamic, cumin,salt and pepper.
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Toss all of the ingredients together and serve at once or store in the fridge until ready to use.
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This looks as healthy as it is beautiful, love the textures in this too!
thanks Sophia!
This looks wonderful! I actually just posted about a grain salad over on my own blog (it was freekeh instead of quinoa), and I’m glad to see other people posting about them as well!
This would be my dream salad, love that you threw in roasted garlic – I bet that just make this!
the beans and artichokes make this dish! Adds a little umph to the quinoa. I love it. simple but delicious- those are the best dishes
I love everything in this salad—especially the artichokes.