Red, White, and Green Grain Salad
'Tis the season for gluttonous eating. I have a long list of indulgences planned the next few days (and I'm sure my mom has some up her sleeve for our family gathering next weekend), so thought I'd load up on something healthy (but oh-so-delicious) before the real fun begins. I've been making this salad in various forms over the last year. I found it on Pinterest--a mix of craisins, feta, walnuts, spinach, and orzo tossed in a lemon vinaigrette. Seeing as how my husband is relatively anti-noodle, I made it initially with quinoa and we loved it. Tonight I had some Israeli couscous hanging out in the pantry, so used that. If you've not made Israeli couscous, do try it. It's like a happy little texture party in your mouth. There's no right or wrong here, use whatever grain you like and have on hand, and play around with the proportions to suit your taste. I'm just giving you ballpark measurements based on what we usually like.
Red, White, and Green Grain Salad
-adapted from somewhere in my Pinterest files...
- 1 1/2 c. dry quinoa, orzo, or Israeli couscous
- 3-4 c. baby spinach (about 1/2 package)
- craisins--about 1/3-1/2 a bag
- walnuts, 1/2 c. or so (if you have time, toast them for a few minutes in a dry skillet)
- feta crumbles
- juice and zest of 1 large lemon
- 1/2 c. olive oil
- salt/pepper
Cook grain of choice per package directions. Cool slightly. Toss with feta, craisins, and walnuts. Whisk lemon juice, zest, salt/pepper, and olive oil together and drizzle over grain mixture. Serve on a bed of spinach, or toss spinach in with the rest of the salad ingredients. I usually toss it all together, but tonight I just served the grain mixture on a bed of spinach. This is great warm, at room temperature, and also fantastic cold the next day!