Shine Salad {Vegan, Gluten-Free}

This delicious, protein rich salad will leave you feeling satisfied and full of energy, but never weighed down.

Behold a salad that will make you feel good and look beautiful! The colorful vegetables and olive oil deliver a punch of lycopene, anti-oxidants, and healthy fats to give you beautiful skin and hair. This protein rich salad will leave you feeling satisfied and full of energy, but never weighed down.

All in all, this a big plate of natures healing medicines, skin creams, and hair treatments in one.

Even with all these health benefits though, this salad is one of my favorite things to eat because it’s darn tasty!  My current favorite meal in fact.

This salad is GREAT made in advance, making it perfect to take for lunches.  Just keep the vegetables separate from the rest of the mixture as they will break down when mixed with a vinaigrette for a long time.  Just toss them in when you’re ready to eat.

Some notes on the ingredients:

Quinoa is a perfect protein- complete with all 9 amino acids.  It’s filling, totally healthy, and gives you that carby bite that you want, without all the refined carbs. It can be found in the health foods, with the grains/rices, or in the bulk food aisle. 

I know it’s not tomato season yet, but I still get great tomatoes every time by shopping for “Campari” maters. I don’t know how they do it, but each and every tomato tastes like you’re eating one right off the summer vines. I’ve found them in most all grocers year round.

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Shine Salad {Vegan, Gluten-Free}

Serves 4

This delicious, protein rich salad will leave you feeling satisfied and full of energy, but never weighed down.

Ingredients

1 (15oz) can Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups cooked Quinoa*

2 Tablespoons Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil**

1 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar

1 teaspoon Agave Nectar

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Chopped Tomatoes

1 cup Chopped Cucumbers

2 big handfuls Mixed Greens

1 Tablespoon Sunflower Kernels

Instructions

Mix garbanzo beans, quinoa, olive oil, vinegar, agave nectar, and salt in a large bowl.

Stir in remaining ingredients when ready to eat.

If preparing in advance, keep remaining ingredients stored separately.

A sprinkle of crushed red pepper or freshly cracked black pepper is also good on this salad. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand or enjoy.

Notes

*Prepare Quinoa according to package instructions.

**Use the absolute best olive oil you can find for a salad like this where the flavor will be prominent. I prefer ones that are more yellow than green, but that is for no scientific reason, I think they just taste better.