I have never truly understood the people who claim that salad cannot be a proper meal. I beg to differ greatly with this notion. Of course the salad can be a meal, if you know how to make it. One of my favorite salads that I love having instead of meals simply to balance out my eating regime if I have had party food for several days in a row is the one based on quinoa salad recipe with barbecue sauce.

The volcano of flavors that erupts in my mouth with every bite makes all the party food seem dull in front of this piece of simple magnificence. It is a really yummy tasting and beautiful to look at recipe which is popular among vegetarians. In my version, I add some cheese because my husband prefers some cheese on top so this is not suitable for vegans. I usually cook for myself and hubby so this one is limited to serving just two people but you could always increase the ingredients in a proportionate manner. I would always ask for different sauces because I believe that somehow it’s a deliberate action by the places where we go out to eat that they make the salads to be such a boring affair most of the times.

I like my salads to be interesting and the quinoa salad recipe with the naturally nutty flavor allows me to do just that. I have often had visitors who would feel a little surprised to see a salad being served as a meal but they would leave my place with a lot of compliments and a copy of this recipe. If you wish to make this more interesting, feel free to experiment with the dressing. Adding a whole new ingredient might be a slight risk but dressing is something that you can alter depending on your own personal taste. Some of my herbs and spices loving friends often cook the veggies and ingredients with a little bit of rosemary and thyme in a skillet just so that they can absorb the natural flavors. If I ever have few oregano seasoning packets left over from home delivery by my favorite pizza chain, it definitely forms a part of the dressing.

My husband was never on team salads and thought it was such girl food. Well, not anymore. He has completely jumped that ship and is now on board with sharing my love for salads. He was convinced the first time he tried this quinoa salad recipe and happily shared his experience with others in our family and invited his best of friends over to give it a try. I admire his support and his admiration is what turns into my inspiration. Getting to share what you love with the one you love makes a huge difference in your life and this is one of those things. We are both very health conscious so always happy to support each other to stay on the path to being healthy.

Steps to prepare this wonderful dish:

1. Soak the quinoa in water for some time and then rinse before you add it to an open pan. Add the water and after it boils to the top, lower the flame for around 20 minutes. You will notice that the grains will become juicy after absorbing all the water and they will feel fully to touch.
2. In a medium sized skillet, add the olive oil and cook broccoli, red pepper and corn. Let them cook for close to 10 minutes or until soft, whichever is earlier. Finally add the black beans and cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Mix the quinoa and the veggies in a large bowl. Using two spoons mix the seasoning consisting of olive oil and barbecue sauce into this mixture.
4. Finally, divide the mixture into two servings and top off with slice onions and the cheese.