Friday, April 12, 2013

Simplest Arugula-Quinoa Salad

I love arugula (sometimes known as rocket) more than any other vegetable. I use it profusely, either raw or cooked; in sandwiches, pasta, soups, on pizza, in quiche, and of course, SALAD.
I love salad too, so this works out well. As spring rolls around, for whatever reason I start craving more fresh, raw, salad-y things, so I make myself a HUGE arugula salad almost every night, varying the other ingredients as the mood strikes me.

Leftovers often play an important role as well. Seriously? Start with some baby arugula and almost ANYTHING goes in a salad.

Here's one of my favorite super-easy go-to salads.

Simple Arugula-Quinoa Salad


1 cup cooked, cooled (leftover) quinoa, farro, brown rice, couscous or your favorite grain
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons your favorite vinegar (I have a white balsamic that I LOVE, but use whatever you prefer)
½ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
1/4 cup minced sundried tomatoes
1/4 sweet purple onion, sliced thin or chopped
1/4 lb medium firm, very fresh tofu, flavored if you can find it (I use Small Planet Garlic and Herb tofu, it's very creamy, almost like cheese!!) cubed or crumbled
4 cups baby arugula (about 3 ounces)

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste.
in a large bowl, carefully fold together the quinoa, tomatoes, onion, tofu, and arugula. Drizzle with dressing. Toss to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

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