I will be off to a wonderful barbecue soon, but wanted to post briefly on a side dish that is both tasty and nutritious. In my experience it is very common to go to barbecues and eat food that is obviously scrumptious, but may not be filling you with the right things. You know you’ve walked by that table with potato salads, coleslaw, chips, dips, hamburgers, hotdogs and more. It is hard to make healthy choices when you are surrounded by not so healthy food. I am a huge proponent in veggie platters, hummus, whole grain buns and maybe skipping the condiments to stay on track. So here is another option that you can try out today or use at another time to contribute to the “guilt free” side of the table.

Quinoa Craisin Salad

Ingredients:
– 1/3 cup craisins
– 1/3 cup walnuts (crushed)
– 1 head of brocolli
– 1/8 cup olive oil
– 1 tsp sea salt
– 1 tsp black pepper
– 1/2  red onion (diced)
– 1 cup of dry quinoa (pre-prepared)

Directions:
1. Quinoa Prep: Take 1 cup of quinoa and rinse thoroughly in a bowl until the water becomes clear. Bring the quinoa to a boil with 2 cups of water then reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, chop the onions and broccoli, and then measure out the remaining ingredients.

3. Finally, mix all of the ingredients together and you are ready to serve!