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This quinoa salad recipe turns into a powerhouse of nutrients and fiber when filled with kale, snap peas and other veggies, all toss with a tahini dressing. 102 calories and 3 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP

Quinoa is a staple in our house, which is one of the reasons I like to make big batches and freeze it in portion sizes to use in salads, soups and one-pot meals. There's just one problem...I love the nutty taste of quinoa so much that I find myself eating far more than my share when I use it in salads.

So, that got me thinking. Maybe I should come up with a quinoa salad where the quinoa is a complementary ingredient rather than the star of the show. And so this salad was born.

This was one of those salads that came together simply by rummaging through the fridge for ingredients. I still had some kale left over from my Spicy Sauteed Kale and Kale, Toasted Almond & Orange Salad, so in that went, along with chopped cucumber, tomato and snap peas. I learned a long time ago that kale salads are far more enjoyable when the leaves are massaged under warm water, then drained well. This softens the leaves and makes them easier to digest. Plus, they just feel better in your mouth when they're tender.

I do adore a good lemony quinoa salad, so I squeezed some fresh lemon juice and whisked it up with some tahini (sesame paste) and agave nectar (you could use honey instead, but the salad won't be vegan).

If you want to make this into a dinner salad, serve up a double portion and top the salad with seared tofu or beans (to keep things vegan) or cooked shrimp and chicken (for the rest of us omnivores).

Other vegan side dish recipes:

Cookin' Canuck's Easy Roasted Mushrooms with Rosemary & Garlic
Cookin' Canuck's Tart Cherry Glazed Roasted Root Vegetables
Averie Cooks' Tropical Chickpea Salad
Fit Mitten Kitchen's Stovetop Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Lemon Pepper Cashew Dressing

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