Grilled Vegetable & Quinoa Salad
This is the ultimate springtime salad. Grilled spring veggies mixed with quinoa and crispy pancetta, what more could you ask for? By grilling the vegetables in a grill pan on the BBQ, they get a beautiful caramelization and slight crispiness to them. The quinoa, well its quinoa, healthy and good for you! And the crispy pancetta adds the perfect crunch. Plus, its bacon, so that makes everything better!
This salad is so simple, its done in less than 30 minutes. The quinoa and the veggies will take about the same time to cook, so start with the quinoa, just follow the directions on the packaging, then set aside when its done.
Then get your chopped vegetables on the grill. I like to use zucchini, crook neck (yellow squash), bell pepper and red onion. The best part about this salad, is you can use any vegetable you like, so if there's something here you don't like, then substitute for what you do like! My husband calls it "Vegetable Medley" and I don't know why but it makes me laugh every time he says it, that's what is it, but maybe its because he calls it that all on his own. He has become quite the good cook :) Anyway, chop the vegetables so they are uniform in size and can cook relatively in the same amount of time. Toss them with olive oil and House Blend, then transfer to the grill pan and grill for about 20-25 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Treat the grill like you would your stove in this instance and keep the lid closed. You could easily do this on your actual stove, but doing it on the grill gives it that BBQ flavor. Vegetables will become golden brown and caramelized and slightly crispy on the edges. YUM!!
The quinoa should be done by now. That's one of the nice things about quinoa, it cooks fast and is so good for you. Its such a great alternative to rice and pasta, plus its gluten free (make sure your using plain quinoa and its not mixed with anything for it to be gluten free), so this salad is awesome for those who are trying to eat gluten free. Add the grilled vegetables to the quinoa.
Season with House Blend and mix well.
You can't always find pancetta, my local store has it already diced and ready to go, which I love, if you can't find it, then you can just use regular bacon, dice it and crisp it up. Add it to the vegetables and quinoa mixture.
Doesn't this look amazing?!
Look at those caramelized onions and crispy pancetta! You could eat all by itself or you could top it with grilled chicken.
Like this! This was such a delicious meal. We even ate outside on the patio!
RECIPE
GRILLED VEGETABLE & QUINOA SALAD
| Prep Time: 10 Minutes | Cook Time: 25 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 4 |
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 zucchini, chopped into 1/2" pieces
- 2 crook neck (yellow squash), cut into 1/2" pieces
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped into 1/2" pieces
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- olive oil
- 1 teaspoon SplenDishes House Blend
- 1/4 cup diced pancetta or bacon, cooked until slightly crispy
Directions:
Cook quinoa according to directions on package then set aside.
In a large bowl, combine chopped vegetables, drizzle with olive oil and House Blend.
Place in grill pan and on hot grill with lid down for about 20-25 minutes, stirring several times in between.
Vegetables are done when tender, golden brown and caramelized.
Add vegetables to quinoa, then sprinkle in a pinch (or more) of House Blend.
Stir in crispy pancetta or bacon and mix well.
Serve alone or topped with grilled chicken or fish.
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