I will admit, I'm having a love affair with quinoa. I just want it all the time. I want it in every salad I eat. It just adds such an easy healthful protein punch to my meals. And its so kid friendly and budget friendly as well. What's not to love? This particular salad packs a delightful crunch. It is super simple to assemble and no one will bad sad about it. 

Ingredients: 
2 cups watercress
4 radishes, diced
8 ounces green beens
1/2 cup pistachios, chopped
1 large head raw broccoli, chopped
2 cups quinoa, cooked
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Roast your pistachios at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. Cook quinoa as directed. Blanch your green beans and put them in the fridge to cool. Emulsify your olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper into a dressing. Mix your watercress, radishes, beans, nuts, and broccoli together. Cover with dressing and serve immediately. 

Enjoy!

I love finding a new recipe for a homemade dressing. Anything you can make that makes vegetables taste delicious is a winner in my book. This dressing has only a few ingredients, but tastes much more complex. It comes together in a cinch and you can save it for days and reuse it. If you're bored of the same old same old dressing, give this one a try. 

Dressing Ingredients: 

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 good quality balsamic vinegar

1/2 clove garlic

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper 

You want to add all of your ingredients except for the olive oil into a mini prep, and blend them together. Then slowly add the oil so it can emulsify. Blend until smooth and fully incorporated. 

For this particular salad we used shredded romaine hearts, radishes, grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, croutons, and blue cheese dressing. The previous day I made this salad we used feta cheese, spinach, cucumbers, and almonds. Both of these salads were fantastic. That's the great thing about a good dressing. You can put it on about anything and it will taste fantastic. 

Enjoy!