Ingredients:
- 1 cup organic quinoa
- Sea salt
- 2 good handfuls of organic baby spinach leaves, washed, drained
- 1 large ripe pear, washed, stemmed and cored, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup chilled chick peas, rinsed, drained
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- A handful of pecans, pan toasted and salted to taste
For the Maple Vinaigrette Dressing:
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Directions:
- Place the quinoa in a saucepan or a rice cooker.
- Add 2 cups fresh water, and a pinch of sea salt.
- Cover and cook on a low simmer until all the water is evaporated and the quinoa is tender- roughly 20 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and dump it into a large salad bowl.
- Add the baby spinach, pear, chick peas, and chopped parsley to the quinoa and fluff.
- Whisk together the vinaigrette, pour it over the quinoa salad and toss gently to coat.
- Season to taste with sea salt and ground pepper.
- Just before serving, add the toasted pecans and lightly combine.
Enjoy!