Celebrate spring with this salad recipe from the MGH Be Fit program.  Leftovers work well for a quick lunch—just keep the dressing separate and add before eating, so the greens don’t wilt.  You can also add a hard-boiled egg to further increase the protein in this recipe.

Ingredients

For the lemon vinaigrette
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
2½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

For the salad
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 bunch asparagus (15 to 20 spears), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 large handfuls of arugula
2 scallions, thinly sliced
½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions:
To make the vinaigrette:
Place all ingredients in a small jar with a lid and shake until thoroughly combined (or whisk together in a small bowl). Taste vinaigrette; add salt and pepper as needed.

To make the salad:
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is tender. Let sit for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork. (If your quinoa still has water in it simply strain it out.) Set aside until ready to assemble the salad.
While the quinoa is cooking, sauté asparagus in olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until cooked through, about 7 minutes.

To assemble the salad:
Combine the cooked quinoa with asparagus, chickpeas, arugula, and scallions. Top with vinaigrette and feta cheese.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrition Information per Serving:
Calories: 390 • Protein: 10g • Sodium: 240mg • Carbohydrate: 31g • Fiber: 7g •
Fat: 26g • Sat Fat: 5g

Recipe adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod