Southwest Quinoa Salad

Southwest Quinoa Salad

1 - 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (I like to cook mine in veggie broth for more flavor)

Dressing : 

1 tbsp or so olive oil

1 tbps or so chili powder

2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp dried Mexican Oregano

juice of one lime

salt and pepper to taste

chopped veggies of choice, this time I used: 

one carrot

one small zucchini

about 6 green beans (raw)

two green onions

a handful of cherry tomatoes

a handful of fresh cilantro

but seriously use anything. Whatever you have on hand and you think will taste good.

1 14 oz. can corn
1 14 oz. can beans (black, kidney, garbanzos, pinto...whatever you have on hand) I used kidney this time


Whisk the dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in the quinoa and chopped veggies. Add in the beans and corn and stir to combine everything. Serve now or chill for later use.

I like to make a big batch of this and eat it for lunch until it's gone, so I know it lasts at least 4-5 days in the fridge.

For dinner tonight I served this over a bed of spring salad mix with some sliced avocado. Deeee-lish!

Barbecue Tofu

I am finding my favorite way to eat tofu is grilled. I have made this spicy Asian tofu over and over again, but was having a hard time finding another flavor profile that was as good. Finally I decided to try regular old barbecue sauce, and it was delicious! Also super-simple which equals a big win in my book.

Barbecue Tofu

One block of extra-firm tofu

barbecue sauce of choice (This one is my favorite : Big Daddy Sam's)

oil for greasing the grill

Cut your tofu into roughly 1/2 inch planks and press wrapped in towels between two cutting boards (top one weighted) for 30 minutes or so.

Brush the planks with barbecue sauce on both sides. Let marinade until ready to cook, but at least 20 minutes.

Get your grill pan or grill nice and greased up, then heat to medium-high to high heat. Grill the tofu planks for about 5-6 minutes per side, turning a quarter turn halfway through to get the cool grill criss cross marks.

Brush with extra sauce if desired and serve. 

These were great as is with some grilled veg, but also made a delicious sandwich with avocado, red onion, and salad mix.