![\"Quinoa](\"http:\/\/foodiddy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/IMG_4406.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nI like a heartier salad during the fall\/winter months and this delivered. I haven’t been too adventurous with recipes lately, I’m sticking to soups and salads for the most part. Hoping to try a few new things over the holidays when I will have more time while on staycation. <\/p>\n
The Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n Directions<\/strong><\/p>\n I was pretty sloppy with the olive oil – creating arrows on 3 of the pieces. I ended up using a little more than shown in the above photo because it soaked into the bread so fast. I did end up coating both sides before adding sea salt. <\/p>\n I decided to go for slicing the bread over tearing it – I think either way would be fine. <\/p>\n And now I present to you – my new obsession. Since this recipe I’ve tried different spices on my croutons – garlic salt, cayenne, smoked paprika, thyme, crushed rosemary – I am a crouton making machine. I even just pop the bread in the toaster when I’m in a hurry and brush oil on it after I remove it. One piece of bread per salad is my rule. Trust me, I could do more. If using the toaster, you may have to cut the single piece in half – seeing as most sourdough pieces are too large for a regular size toaster. <\/p>\n The original recipe from [the nest] didn’t include avocados, but I knew I wanted it in my version. I also knew that I wanted grape and cherry tomatoes over sliced larger tomatoes. I now start off my Sunday evening by making a big batch of quinoa for salads. For those that feel quinoa tastes “too earthy” – a salad is the perfect way to incorporate it into your diet, it absorbs the dressing and sticks to other salad ingredients creating a nice texture.<\/p>\n The fresh herbs really made the other ingredients pop. The mint and cucumber were fabulous together. <\/p>\n Feel free to omit any of the three herbs if you aren’t a fan. I know people either love or hate cilantro – Mint and cilantro are very potent – so you may need to scale back on the amount if you are sensitive to that.<\/p>\n Remember, it’s a salad – there are no rules and it’s pretty hard to screw it up. I just play around until I find the right combo. For instance, I like my croutons to be warm when I place them into my salads. I also like to use organic baby spring mix because the warmth of the croutons wilts it perfectly. The croutons give me crunch and I’ve also started adding garbanzo beans for additional fiber and protein. <\/p>\n [yumprint-recipe id=’5′]I made wedge salads for Thanksgiving and will post that recipe soon. Until then, it’s Christmas all up in my house. I’m decorating, watching my Hallmark, Up and Lifetime Christmas movies and loving every minute of it. <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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