Quinoa Salad

Our put-anything-you-have Salad of the day yesterday was a quinoa/purple cauliflower salad.

I had about 2 cups cooked quinoa, mixed with 1 small purple cauliflower (broken into florets)that was boiled briefly then chopped into smaller pieces. I put both of these into a mixing bowl once they were both mostly cooled down. I added crumbled feta cheese (about 2 ounces), 1 small finely chopped red onion, some fresh chopped basil, about 20 pitted kalamata olives that I sliced into thirds... I dressed the whole thing with a homemade balsamc dressing: 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1/3 cup olive oil, S & P to taste, red chile flakes, and a small dollop of dijon mustard.

Possible additions that I didn't have this time, but could be added or substituted for the above ingredients:

1) the grain: can be couscous or brown rice or another cooked grain.

2) the dressing: the possibilities are endless both bottled and homemade

3) vegetables: grated carrots, chopped green onions, chopped radishes, chopped, cooked golden or chioggia beets (red ones would make the whole salad a dramatic magenta), roasted or raw chopped sweet peppers, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped arugula, chopped celery or fennel, any cooking greens that are blanched then chopped, the world of vegetables are possible!

4) tasty addtions: chopped olives, capers, sliced marinated artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, crumbled or grated cheeses, toasted nuts

Did I eat it for breakfast? Yes! Just say no to corn flakes.

My children have been banned from breakfast cereal for the time being because they drink too much milk that way, leave the floor littered with corn flakes, and manage to 'forget' the eat-a-fruit-or-vegetable-with-every-meal rule. Did the kids eat my pretty quinoa salad for breakfast? well, no. Lena ate whole wheat toast with strawberry jam, and I don't know what Graydon ate since I was in the office talking to restaurants, encouraging them to purchase tomatoes.