Simple Saturdays Quinoa Salad

Simple Saturdays will feature easy to make, easy to eat recipes. For the first Simple Saturday post, get ready to whip up a tasty vegetarian dish.


For dinner last night, I served this delicious quinoa salad alongside some roasted sweet potatoes. They are SO good they deserve their own post, so look for that later.

While working on the quinoa salad and sweet potatoes, I added the vegetable peelings to my compost bin. We transfer this bin into the larger one outside where we make our own dirt! How cool is that??

This is what the compost bin looks like when you bump it off the counter. See all the items you can compost! I spy: coffee grounds and filter, eggshells, and sweet potato peelings. Makes great dirt and an even better mess on your kitchen floor!

I spent last week visiting my home state of Texas and enjoying all the pork products and salt the Lone Star State has to offer! Cream gravy atop a fluffy biscuit beside crisp, thick bacon is enjoyed by cowboys and cowgirls alike.

After a week of indulgence and conservative politics, nothing restores your sense of virtue and liberal self-righteousness better than a hearty vegetarian meal. To enhance the granola vibe, turn on some Jack Johnson, slide into your Birkenstocks, and embrace your inner dirty hippie.

Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
2 small bell peppers, diced
2-3 oz. goat cheese
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 a lemon
2 tbsp chives, chopped finely
salt & pepper to taste

In a fine mesh strainer, rinse the quinoa thoroughly. Combine quinoa and water in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a rolling boil. Then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook 15-20 minutes until the water is absorbed.

While quinoa is cooking, dice up the bell peppers and crumble the goat cheese in a bowl. Once the quinoa is done, put it on top of the bell pepper and goat cheese. Drizzle the quinoa with olive and squeeze the lemon juice on top. Add in chives and toss to combine. The heat of the quinoa will melt the goat cheese and create a creamy dressing for the quinoa and peppers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You won't need much as the goat cheese, olive oil, and lemon juice add lots of flavor.