Chicken, Avocado and Quinoa Salad

We eat with the seasons. That means cooking outside on the barbecue most nights during late spring, all summer and early fall.

And it means eating lots and lots of salads during that same warm weather period.

I know lettuce is available year-round… I’m just not in the mood for salads on cold, gray, rainy winter days.

Besides, after eating so many of them all summer. I’m ready for something else – like soup (which I don’t eat all summer, unless it’s chilled)

Anyway…..

Here’s another salad!

I like to add quinoa or brown rice to a salad, to round it out and make it a full meal.

Plus it adds interesting flavors and texture.

Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Adding healthy, nutty quinoa to a salad makes it a complete light summer meal

Instructions:

Cut chicken into bit-size pieces.
Heat Teriyaki sauce and walnut oil in a large skillet.
Add chicken and stir-fry until cooked through.
Cook quinoa in chicken stock for 15 minutes or until done.
Cut avocado into slices.
Cut pepper into matchsticks.
Shred carrot using a vegetable peeler.
Cut cherry tomatoes in half.
Crumble cheddar.
Prepare lettuce, wash and spin dry if needed.
Snip or tear herbs
Make vinaigrette: Whisk together Teriyaki sauce, vinegar and mustard. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking to combine.
Put lettuce and herbs into a large bowl.
Add half the vinaigrette and toss to coat.
Spread the quinoa on top of the lettuce.
Arrange the rest of the ingredients on top of quinoa.
Drizzle with a bit more vinaigrette and serve, remaining vinaigrette on the side.