If you are not a vegetarian and hear Meatless Monday, you may think of rabbit food with the flavor of a stalk of celery.  This is NOT that kind of recipe.  I LOVE food and pack it FULL of flavor.  You can use your favorite dressing on this salad or make the ginger lime dressing.  I make it in the morning or the night before to let the flavors incorporate well.  This recipe translates well for a variety of seasonings.  I am always trying new salt free or low sodium blends in the kitchen.  Today’s is from Simply Asia

In a bowl, combine:

1 c. non fat plain Greek yogurt

1 TBS. lime juice

1 TBS. sweet ginger garlic seasoning — substitute your favorite if you would like

2 TBS. unsweetended almond milk

1 TBS. honey

Quinoa is often referred to as a “super grain”.  It is a premium whole grain packed with protein.  I use red quinoa for my taco salad.

1/2 c. red quinoa

1c. water

2 TBS. Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning

1/2c. black beans

1/2c. corn

Rinse quinoa in cold water. Combine quinoa, water, and Mrs. Dash in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add corn and black beans and continue to simmer for approximately 5 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.  Turn off quinoa and let stand while you prepare the greens.

My favorite salad base is romaine, spinach, broccoli slaw, and sugar snap peas.  I use about 2 cups of salad greens.

Top salad greens with 1/2c. prepared quinoa.  Garnish with you favorite toppings.

Garnish:

diced green peppers

black olives

shredded Monterey and Colby Jack cheese

taco sauce

Ginger Lime Dressing

ENJOY!

I never cook once when meal prep is a possibility.  I cooked the entire box of red quinoa and multiplied the recipe by 4.  The leftovers were portioned and put in the freezer to grab and go for a weekday lunch or dinner on a never ending, late work day.  The quinoa mix also make great taco stuffing for hard or soft shell tacos.

#MomCooksClean