Quinoa Tabouli (gluten-free)

1c any 'color' quinoa

2c fresh cold water

2 huge cloves of garlic - smashed and minced

Simmer the quinoa on low until all the water absorbs. Remove from heat, add the garlic and stir gently. Cover while chopping all the vegetables. The heat will mellow the sharpness of the garlic a little.

Combine in a big glass bowl:

quartered grape tomatoes
2 yellow mini bell peppers
celery heart and tops
5 tiny cucumbers
5 green onions
1/2 purple onion
1 med. carrot - grated
zest and juice of 1 lemon
lots of good quality single source EVOO
1/2 bunch each: curly & Italian flat leaf parsley
2 cans of well rinsed-and-drained black beans

Add the slightly cooled quinoa and garlic.
Combine gently. Check the flavors and season. I used Lowry's Garlic Salt, ground black and red pepper. I was making this for our church potluck, so I forgot to take a pic of the finished bowl. Drop down two recipes. . .Yup, it looks pretty much like that Tabouli 😁 . . . Lin

Tuna Pasta Salad

I get to see my Granddaughter and her two little boys tonight!

I'm out of chicken, so I decided to make this for our dinner together and bring them some muffins. My oldest Great Grandson is almost 4 and the little guy isn't eating big people food yet, so I wanted to keep this flavor palette on the simple side, but you can jazz it up any way you like. Some horseradish added to the dressing would be good!

Cook 6oz. colorful pasta to al dente stage, drain, rinse and let it stand in a bowl or pan of ice water. Get it as cold as you can, before draining, to convert the starch into Resistant Starch which is a much healthier way to eat potatoes, rice and pasta.

In a big bowl, whisk together the dressing:

3/4c-1c real mayonnaise

1/3c brown deli mustard

2-3T fresh lemon juice

a shake of garlic salt

1/2t± finely ground black pepper

Next, chop and add the vegetables shown and also 3/4c of chopped sweet pickle 
-or dill- not shown.

3-4 stalks of celery heart + greens

1 or more, colorful mini peppers

1/2 to a whole med. purple onion

1 8oz. can diced, drained, water chestnuts

10-12oz. drained canned tuna

 ~ if your tuna is packed in EVOO, add the oil to the dressing

Add the chopped vegetables and tuna to the dressing bowl and mix well. Next, carefully fold in the pasta and mix gently until everything is well combined.

This goes together quick and is a nice lunch or dinner option for a hot day. If you want to eliminate the pasta, you could use 6c of chopped Iceberg or Romaine lettuce instead. .Lin