Superfood Salad (to turn me into Superwoman?!)

Sunday morning, Jeff and I stood in the kitchen, realizing that we haven't really cooked in nearly two weeks because of vacation. And, in spite of money spent eating out, we really needed to do a big grocery shopping  so that we would have the makings of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for this week--especially since the only one of those meals we'll actually be home together for is dinner Tuesday night. Feeling completely uninspired about what to make for lunches to bring to school (since I was already grumpy about going back to class), I started to browse the web for ideas--when I suddenly remembered a summer post from my friend, Megan's blog (http://oneemerald.blogspot.com/). In it, she mentioned this awesome "Superfood Salad" from another great blog: "Iowa Girl Eats." Because the recipe isn't mine at all (though I have modified amounts a bit), and because I don't believe in plagiarism, here's the link to the original recipe in the "Iowa Girl Eats" blog: http://iowagirleats.com/recipes/superfood-salad-with-lemon-vinaigrette/

Now, with the technicalities out of the way, here's how to make the deliciousness in preparation for healthy, not-too-expensive, ready-to-go, work lunches!

A confession about these yummy ingredients:
Jeff was kind enough to seed the pomegranate for me last night,
so I had the arils ready and waiting in the fridge!

Ingredients (for the salad):
1 cup dry quinoa
1 orange, peeled and segments chopped (thanks to my folks, we have some delicious FL oranges!)
1-2 avocados, chopped (usually, I'd just do one, but these ones were particularly small)
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup pomegranate arils (about 1 pomegranate worth--if it's more than a cup, I just use them all!)
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped (in the winter, I cheat and use the tube variety from the store)
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Ingredients (for the lemon vinaigrette):
1/4 cup lemon juice (usually 1-2 lemons)
1 garlic clove, microplaned or finely minced
Dash of sweetener (agave nectar, stevia, or white sugar, also to taste)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

My little sous-chef felt it was very important to preview all ingredients.
(Note to self: Ozzy might actually eat pomegranate arils if given the time and means.)

Directions:

• Cook quinoa according to package directions. (As quinoa cooks, it's a great time to also thaw your corn!) Set quinoa and corn aside to cool. (To speed up the cooling process on the quinoa, I often put the warm quinoa in the freezer--it chills down much more quickly that way! You can also put the warm corn in the fridge for a half hour or so.)

Quinoa and corn cooking away.
(Quinoa was in the boiling stage, which is why it looks white!)

• Make the lemon vinaigrette by putting all the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid (a mason jar or empty pasta sauce jar works great!) and shake to combine.

So easy and delicious! Definitely keep taste testing, though.
And don't be scared to leave it tangy--
the sweetness from the avocado and orange will mellow it out.

• Combine the cooled quinoa with remainder of the salad ingredients (except vinaigrette).

All the ingredients except quinoa--
toss gently, as avocados are fragile!

• Pour lemon vinaigrette over whole salad and stir to combine.

Final salad--yum!

• Can be served chilled (better for summer) or room temperature (my choice in winter)

Portioned out in five perfect lunch-sized containers (about 2 cups each).
Since I only need 4 more lunches this week, maybe I'll be nice and give Jeff one!

One other idea: this salad is delicious by itself, but you can add a little protein boost by grilling some chicken or shrimp to put on the top. It's a bit too cold here to send Jeff to the deck to grill right now, so I just picked up some frozen, pre-cooked jumbo shrimp at Trader Joe's. I plan to thaw 3-4 each morning, then toss them on top of the salad at lunch time.