This Italian Inspired Salad Won’t Leave You Unsatisfied and Dreaming of Pasta

After eating a steady regimen of tacos and churros while vacationing in Mexico City, my fiancé and I made a pact to eat salads for lunch and dinner for the next couple of weeks. Since transitioning from Mexican comfort food to leafy greens isn’t the most thrilling thing in the world, I wanted to come up with salad recipes that could be filling and satisfying.

This delicious and hearty salad has all of the fixings – chickpeas, fire-roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, and caramelized onions and mushrooms sautéed in a sherry reduction – all topped with a creamy spinach pesto sauce. Next stop, Italy!

 

Makes 8-10 Servings, Serving Size: 1 Cup

Italian Veggie Quinoa Salad

This delicious and hearty salad has all of the fixings – chickpeas, fire-roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, and caramelized onions and mushrooms sautéed in a sherry reduction – all topped with a creamy spinach pesto sauce.

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Ingredients

Italian Veggie Quinoa Salad:
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 TBS olive oil or avocado oil
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced into half rings and separated
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3 8-ounce cartons of crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup sherry wine
• 1 14-ounce can of artichoke hearts in water, rinsed, drained, and chopped
• 2 12-ounce jars of fire roasted red peppers, rinsed, drained, and thinly sliced
• 1 14-oz can or tetrapak of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• Salt and pepper to taste
Pesto Sauce:
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cup basil
• 1 cup spinach
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• Juice from 2 lemons
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Add quinoa and water to a medium saucepan. Once it starts boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until all of the water has absorbed. Fluff with fork and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large pot and sauté onions and garlic until golden brown. Add in the mushrooms and sauté until they are tender and almost cooked through.
3. Pour the sherry into the pot. Stir and scrap all of the brown bits off the bottom of the pan, until the liquid has reduced by half.
4. Stir in artichokes, roasted red pepper, chickpeas, and olives and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
5. Turn off heat and mix in the quinoa.
6. Add all of the ingredients for the pesto sauce into a food processor or blender. Blend until creamy and smooth. Pour into a mason jar for easy storage.
7. For one serving, add 1 cup of Italian Veggie Quinoa Salad over a bed of mixed greens. Drizzle 1-2 TBS of pesto sauce on top. Optional: garnish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze for extra sweetness.

Cuisine: Italian | Recipe Type: Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Lunch & Dinner, Salad

7.6.4

17

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