this is such a tangy, fresh new salad ~ created by MOI!

although i did make it up all by myself, i was inspired.  i’m reading this really sweet book called, “LUNCH IN PARIS: A LOVE STORY, WITH RECIPES”.  it’s like a little vacation every time i open it up and read a new chapter.

her recipe was couscous, and i only took her wonderful idea of adding grapefruit juice, which turned out to be a game changer.  the rest i made up…

this is such a lovely dish that can be morphed and changed and dressed up or down.  it can be whatever you need it to be.

here’s the recipe!

• prepare quinoa according to the directions on the box.  use vegetable broth if you have it.  i used “better than bouillon” like i always do.
• while the quinoa is cooking, put together your vinaigrette:
  • juice of one large grapefruit
  • juice of two limes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon of your favorite vinegar (red wine, champagne, apple cider)
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • chopped green onion or red onion
  • handful of chopped cilantro
  • kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
  • chopped jalapeno

(those are all just suggestions, of course.  you can change this up according to your taste, and whatever you have in your fridge!)

• add the quinoa when it’s hot, so it can soak up all that amazing juice
• add feta, golden raisins or cranberries, and any kind of veggies you want to get in for the day ~ celery would be amazing in this ~ and season to taste.  add cumin or chili powder or anything you like.  fresh basil would be amazing as well.

try not to eat it all in one sitting ~ it will be hard, and i had to distract myself to stop, just so i could have leftovers.

WW ALERT: look away if you don’t want to hear about the blasted points!

there are 6 points in a cup of cooked quinoa.  so the more veggies you add to this dish, the less quinoa you’ll be eating.  so pack in those veggies and you get to enjoy more!  i couldn’t stop at one cup of this salad.  it was TOOOO GOOD.  i had more like 2 cups, and a couple bites over the sink when i “tried” to put it away.