Quinoa Veggie Salad

Enjoy this super simple warm salad.  I enjoy bringing it to the office with me for lunch, and it also makes a quick side dish along chicken or salmon.  OR, you can stir in shredded chicken or salmon for a new dish!

Quinoa Veggie Salad
Makes 2 Servings

1/4 cup raw almonds, chopped
1/2 cup quinoa
2 tsp coconut oil
2 tsp olive oil
1 organic yellow bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 cup filtered water
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 organic zucchini, diced
1 organic celery stalk, diced
Juice of 1 lime

1.)  Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  Toast almonds until lightly browned, and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.  Meanwhile, place quinoa in a fine sieve and rinse under cold filtered water until the water runs clear.  Drain.

2.)  In a medium saucepan, heat coconut oil over Medium heat.  Add bell pepper, garlic, scallions, and red pepper flakes.  Saute until tender, about 6 minutes.

3.)  Stir in quinoa, thyme, filtered water, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 7 minutes.  Stir in zucchini, cover, and cook until quinoa is tender but not mushy, 6 to 8 minutes longer.  Remove the saucepan from heat.

4.)  Stir in celery, almonds, and olive oil, season with sea salt and fluff with a fork.  Serve warm or cold.  Before serving, drizzle with fresh lime juice.