Farmer's Junk Drawer Quinoa Salad

I was in charge of dinner last night.

So mamma went with what she loves, and mixed it all up in a giant salad for a " summer garden in a bowl" party in your mouth.

My daughter was not impressed. Too many vegetables, evidently.
Hubby and I were in heaven.

For us, nothing is more fun than walking out into the yard and gathering things to eat that evening. This salad has a lot of stuff you have growing in your yard, or at your farmer's market, so make use of all that local produce in this lovely salad.

And take note of the extra step with the quinoa. I have discovered how to get quinoa creamy with no bitter flavor. I buy prewashed quinoa but don't stop there. I soak it in cold water for 30 minutes. During that time I stir it around a couple times. After soaking, drain it really well and rinse in cold water. It makes a huge difference. Try it!

One more note, if you are short on time and your quinoa is not cooling fast enough, lay it in an even layer in a 13 x 9 pan and put it in the freezer. Laying it in a thin layer lets it all cool down quicker. You can also make the quinoa the night before or early in the morning, along with blanching and prepping your vegetables. That makes assembling go a lot quicker, too.

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