Quinoa Salad with Avocado, Cannied Pecans, and Oranges

I realized that I had 3 random boxes of quinoa sitting around and no recollection of when I bought them.  I think that this says a lot about me: I want to try different food and eat healthier but I tend to get stuck following the same pattern and I have trouble breaking out of it. Oh yeah, and the other thing this says is that I have way too much food in my pantry and I need to finish some!  

Now back to the quinoa, I wanted to experiment and start making new versions of the same basic salad that I usually eat with ingredients that I had available.  I combined quinoa and avocado for a base, the mandarine oranges to add sweetness, and the lettuce and pecans for texture and crispiness.  The salad was really good and was more filling then I had expected.  I think that it is a good starting point and that I will experiment with different ingredients and dressings.

Quinoa Salad with Avocado, Cannied Pecans, and Oranges
Makes 4 portions

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1/2 avocado, chopped
1/2 cup madarine oranges, cut in half
1/2 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup candied pecans (see recipe here)

For the salad dressing:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1.  Rinse and drain the quinoa in cold water before cooking.

2. In a pot, combine the quinoa and water and bring to a boil.  Reduce the flame and cover the pot.  Simmer to quinoa until all of the water is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes.

3.  Once the quinoa is sufficiently cooled, transfer to a large bowl and toss in the other ingredients.

4.  Combine all of the ingredients for the salad dressing in a small bowl and mix them well.  Pour the salad dressing over the quinoa and toss until well combined.

Enjoy!

Rona