My summer is officially kicking off this weekend. Not only are my best friends in the whole wide world coming to visit me, but Memorial Day means we're officially allowed to grill every single night, eat salads for dinner every night, drink white wine spritzers and wear dresses.
Summer livin' is so easy.
But let's focus on the grilling and salad part, before we get sidetracked (and boozy). We'll save the white wine spritzer and pretty dresses for some other time. I mean this is a site focused on food after all.
{unless you want to hear about my pretty dresses, in that case, we can definitely reserve some time to chat!}
Living in an NYC apartment has it's downsides. One of them being direct access to the outdoors, which means no outdoor grilling (we do have a rooftop deck, but have to go up four flights of stairs – my quads do not thank me). What's a girl to do when she's dying for some char grilled veggies, but is stuck inside? That's where a grill pan, like my Le Creuset, comes in handy.
Granted, your kitchen will be full of smoke, you might set a fire alarm off, but it will all be worth it. Why? Because you'll have char grilled veggies to toss with your quinoa salad.
Which I do have to say is probably the most perfect Memorial Day recipe ever.
I mean to make this a tex-mex flavored recipe, but it turned more into a what I have in my fridge recipe. But hey, there's nothing wrong with that, because this grilled vegetable quinoa salad is delicious. It's full of smokey flavored veggies, a bring citrus dressing and my oh-so-favorite (do I use that word too much?) nutty quinoa.
A great way to welcome summer!
Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad with Avocado
Ingredients
- for the quinoa salad
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 small zucchini sliced into rings
- 8 button mushrooms thickly sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes left whole
- 1 avocado pitted and sliced
- Oil for coating
- Salt and pepper to taste
- for the dressing
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil optional - I don't think your salad needs it personally
Instructions
- Preheat your gilling surface over medium high heat. Toss the vegetables (minus the avocado) in a mixing bowl with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Season to your liking.
- Grill the vegetables until there are visible grill marks on one side, about 2 - 3 minutes, flip them over and grill the other side. If you're using a grill pan, you may have to do this in batches. Remove the veggies from the heat and set aside until all they are all done.
- Next, grill the avocado. You can season it with salt and pepper if you like, but I thought it was fine as is. Just place it on the grill and cook as you did the other vegetables.
- Prepare the quinoa salad by first whisking together the vinaigrette ingredients. Next, add all the grilled veggies (minus the avocado) and the cooked quinoa into a large mixing bowl and stir until incorporated. Add the dressing and toss to coat.
- Spoon the salad into two bowls (or plates) and top with grilled avocado. Sprinkle with a touch more salt and pepper if you want more seasonings.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
