It's kind of funny how my perceptions change over time. When I just had one little baby at home, it seemed to require a lot of energy to care for her. Now that I have four kids, during those rare times when it's just me and the baby at home, it seems quite quiet and relaxing.
This week my husband took our older three kids out, and I anticipated the quiet time at home. They were going to a baseball game and getting hot dogs or other ballpark food for dinner, so it was the perfect opportunity to indulge a bit and make myself a salad for dinner that I knew no one else in my family would care for. I had this salad at a friend's house and loved it, but it does have a lot of strong flavors, some of which my kids (and husband) prefer to pass on.
There is a lot happening in this salad: the roasted tomatoes, nutty red quinoa, chewy couscous, salty kalamata onions and feta, and a little surprise of mint. And the lemon vinaigrette complements it all perfectly.
Ingredients:
For the dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
For the salad:
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 cup red quinoa (uncooked)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup Israeli couscous
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
5 oz. baby spinach, cut into thin ribbons
1/4 cup (0.25 oz. package) mint leaves, cut into thin ribbons
15 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Directions:
1. In a small bowl whisk together the red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, oregano, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to whisk briskly. Whisk in the lemon juice. If it doesn't look completely combined, pour into a jar with a lid and shake until emulsified.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil (for easy clean-up) and spray with nonstick spray. Cut the grape tomatoes in half and spread in a single layer on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle on garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine. Bake for 20-22 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time, or until tomatoes have softened and skins are slightly shriveled. Cool on baking sheet.
3. In a medium saucepan combine the quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the couscous and increase the heat to bring it back to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for an additional 8-10 minutes, until both the quinoa and couscous are tender. Stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Cool completely.
4. Transfer the quinoa and couscous mixture to a large bowl. Add the cooled tomatoes, red onion, kalamata olives, spinach, mint leaves, chickpeas and feta cheese. Stir to combine. Slowly pour in the remaining dressing while gently mixing to coat the salad. (If there will be leftovers, then only put dressing on individual servings and refrigerate the leftover salad and dressing separately.)
Source: salad recipe adapted from www.wegmans.com via my friend, Kathy, G.; dressing recipe from www.allrecipes.com
