The arrival of summer means the arrival of bags of mixed salad greens at farmers market, or of course, your own from your garden. Instead of basing salad recipes off of them though, I like to throw them in as an extra addition to whatever I am making, a complement to the rest of the dish. That’s exactly what they are in this quinoa salad recipe.

Using both red and white quinoa you get a colorful salad that is full of omega 3s and hearty enough that you can eat it as the main dish. The dates and currants give it a sweeter flavor, which is perfect for warmer weather and a meal outside.

Ingredients:

Summer Carrot and Date Quinoa Salad

• 1/2 cup white quinoa
• 1/2 cup red quinoa
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 1/2 cup dates, chopped
• 1/2 cup currants
• mixed salad greens

Basil and Mustard Citrus Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• juice of 1/2 an orange
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil (depending on how much basil flavor you want)

Directions:

Prepare the quinoa. Place in saucepan with 2 cups of water and a pinch of sea salt and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer until water has cooked off, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a large salad bowl combine chopped carrots, dates and currants.

To make the dressing, combine olive oil, apple cider vinegar and orange juice in a small jar or bowl. Add in mustard and whisk until well-blended. stir in basil.

Mix in quinoa with rest of salad ingredients, and top with dressing. Toss together.

Before serving, add in a couple of handfuls of mixed salad greens.

Originally published here.