Greek Quinoa Salad

This salad is convenient for lunches, and it works well as a side dish too.

1/4 cup (60 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
2 red onions, chopped
2 cups (500 mL) chopped button mushrooms
4 cups (1 L) cooked quinoa
1 cup (250 mL) chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 cup (250 mL) chopped black olives
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped
2 cups (500 mL) chopped long English cucumber
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, roasted and roughly chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil or oil that sun-dried tomatoes are packed in
1 Tbsp (15 mL) yellow or Dijon mustard
2 tsp (10 mL) dried oregano
1 tsp (5 mL) Montreal steak spice (see recipe to make your own)

In large skillet, heat vegetable broth and sauté onion until translucent. Add mushrooms and sauté until cooked. Mix cooked vegetables with quinoa, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, raw peppers, and cucumber.

Using handheld blender, blend roasted peppers, lemon juice, oil, mustard, oregano, and Montreal steak spice together until smooth. Toss with quinoa mixture.

To store:

Store in fridge for 1 week or up to 2 to 3 months in the freezer. Freeze the salad by replacing cucumber and raw peppers with zucchini and sautéed peppers and storing the dressing separately.

Makes 16 servings.

Each serving contains: 127 calories; 3 g protein; 6 g total fat (1 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 17 g total carbohydrates (3 g sugars, 3 g dietary fibre); 273 mg sodium

Montreal spice mix

Many nonorganic spices are irradiated to kill micro-organisms. If you prefer to buy non-irradiated spices, you may find Montreal spice mix in your local health food store—or you can simply make it yourself using organic spices. Sprinkle it on pretty much any dish for an added boost of flavour.

To make your own seasoning, mix together:

2 Tbsp (30 mL) paprika
2 Tbsp (30 mL) black pepper
2 Tbsp (30 mL) kosher salt
1 Tbsp (15 mL) garlic powder
1 Tbsp (15 mL) onion powder
1 Tbsp (15 mL) ground coriander
1 Tbsp (15 mL) dill
1 Tbsp (15 mL) red pepper flakes

Store leftover Montreal spice mix in a glass jar with airtight lid.

source: "Healthy Make-Ahead Meals", alive #361, November 2012