Some of my absolute favorite summer hobbies are vegetable gardening and canning. There's just something about walking to the garden each morning, picking fresh produce, and nourishing your soul with it. The whole process; planting a tiny seed and watching it transform slowly into an abundant plant filled with vitamins and minerals our bodies need to thrive is just so incredible to me.
With that being said, any time I get the opportunity to make something new with some of the ingredients I can get out of my own garden I get so excited. This summertime salad (although let's face it, I will be eating this year-round) is filling, nutrient dense, and so easy to make.
Simple mix the following into a medium bowl and enjoy!
1 c. quinoa, cooked
4 mini cucumbers, cubed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1-2 avocado, pitted, peeled, and cubed.
Juice of 1 lemon
2 small shallots, diced (one small diced red onion would also be delicious if shallots are not on hand)
1-2 tomato, cubed
1/2 c. kalamata olives, whole or halved
1/2 c. olive oil
Splash of your favorite vinegar dressing
Dash of onion powder
Dash of garlic powder
salt, pepper to taste
This recipe will last approx. 3 days covered in the refrigerator. After this amount of time the cucumbers will begin to lose their crunch.
This is one of my new favorite recipes, and hope you enjoy it as much as I do!