Quinoa Arugula Salad

My sister just bought a house (go Angie!) and was having a little new house gathering to celebrate.  I love bringing healthy and pretty side dishes to parties for a few reasons - it helps to make sure I have a great, filling, healthy option to eat when I'm there, colorful veggies and/or fruits are a beautiful addition to a party food table, and party people tend to enjoy having a delicious dish with familiar ingredients but still something somewhat new they haven't tried before.

Fresh, easy and healthy - multiple people asked for the recipe :)

I mixed the vinaigrette separately and transported in a small glass container.  Once I arrived at my sister's house I gave it a little shake, poured over the salad and everything was ready to enjoy.

 Party time!

Quinoa Arugula Salad

by GreensForMe

Salad: 

• 1-1/2 C quinoa, or whatever grains you have on hand - I also used a little bit of farro because I had some
• 1/4 C pine nuts
• 3 large handfuls of arugula 
• 1/2 C Feta cheese (I like getting a block and crumbling myself with a fork - I think is cheaper and tastes fresher to me than getting pre-crumbled) 

Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 C olive oil 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar (red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar would probably work well) 
• 2 tbsp grated lemon zest 
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley (not required, but a nice touch) 
• salt & pepper
• red pepper flakes, to taste

Cook your quinoa or grains according to package directions.  Let cool in a bowl.  Toast pine nuts on stovetop in small pan for 5-8 minutes until slightly toasted, and add to bowl.

Whisk together all ingredients for vinaigrette in small bowl and set aside.

Chop arugula and add to quinoa bowl.  Add crumbled Feta and toss to combine.

Top with the vinaigrette.  Enjoy!

Caprese Party Dish

Another farmer's market Sunday morning for me yielded some beautiful plump tomatoes, some peppery arugula and of course some Zeke's coffee :)  It was the day of my grandmother's 90th birthday party.  Grandmam is one incredible lady and I can only hope to one day be as amazing of a woman as she is.  I wanted to bring an easy party dish so decided to make a very shareable style of caprese salad, with some arugula to add some spiciness to the mix.  I've made the skewers of caprese before but this was definitely a more time saving dish to make, and I also strayed from the standard caprese salad of large layers of mozz and tomato to keep things easy to eat while mingling and partying down with Grandmam.

Farmers market heirlooms:

With the Zeke's cameo, so you know these are legit farmers market tomatoes:

Voila!

 

Caprese Party Dish

by GreensForMe

• 1 ball fresh mozzarella
• 8-9 small heirloom tomatoes
• 3 large handfuls arugula
• 1 handful basil
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• salt & pepper

Start by cutting up your mozzarella and your tomatoes into cubes or bite-sized slices.  Roughly chop the arugula and basil.  Place all in a medium sized mixing bowl and drizzle with about 3 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar.  Season with salt & pepper, toss, and place in serving bowl.  Super easy, healthy and perfect for sharing.

Happy 90th, Grandmam!  XOXOXOXOXO