Quinoa and walnut lunch bowl
All-Points Bulletin: Do yourself a favor and cook up some whole grains on Sunday! Brown rice, quinoa, barley, or bulgar. Stick them in the fridge and use all week – tossed into salads (my favorite), cooked on the stove top with coconut milk in the morning and topped with toasted nuts, stir fried with veggies, or added to soups.
When I make "grain" salads these days, I tend to use mostly vegetables with a little bit of whole grains to help the whole thing stick together. In addition to being healthier, they're also more colorful.
My friend Jordan is always begging me to be more explicit about my salads. It drives her crazy that I say, "Oh, a little of this, a little of that." So here's another one for you, Jordan. The only thing better than a working lunch at home would be lunch with you.
P.S. If you're an Instagram user and are either a Seattle resident or have plans to travel there, Jordan has an Instagram feed (@local_trove) that's becoming the best guide to sweet Seattle spots that I know of. Restaurants, parks, farmers markets. Beautiful photos, helpful descriptions.
Quinoa and Walnut Lunch Bowl
This serves one, but if you're serving more, just get out a big bowl and fill accordingly! In a bowl, combine a handful of cold grains with lots of chopped kale/greens/herbs. Here, I've used black kale, mint, chives, mustard greens, Italian parlsey, and lovage from my garden. Plain old romaine would work, too – you just want something with crunch (versus red or green leaf lettuce). Add a handful of toasted walnuts (or other seeds/nuts, like sunflower seeds, pepitas, or almonds), some salty feta, shaved carrots (here, red carrots shaved with a vegetable peeler) and toss with a big squeeze of lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a glug of olive oil. I used juices from my preserved lemon jar, but lemon juice, olive oil, and salt are a fine substitute.
