This is a light, lovely lunch that has a couple of fine advantages. The protein in the quinoa makes it a satisfying meal. It also keeps well. Tucked in the refrigerator, it will last for a few days.

I’ve been trying out recipes lately in preparation for classes on spiralizing that we’ll be offering at Highfield in August. Some were more successful than others. A good recipe around here is referred to as “blogable.” There have been a few that haven’t shown up here for good reason.

Frank has been very patient about trying some of these efforts, but the one with zucchini, orange juice and kale pushed him a little over the edge. So we had what he referred to as a “regular” meal last night. Steak, sweet potatoes, and salad. Balance is key!

Back to the salad. I like the fact that I was able to use a number of different blades to create different shapes and textures that make the salad more interesting. I also learned that English cucumbers can be spiralized very successfully using the slicing blade. If you cut the cucumber halfway through, you get perfect, uniform slices. If you leave it whole, you end up with a connected ribbon. You can also spiralize large radishes. I used the “spaghetti” blade and trimmed the strands to produce thin ribbons of radish.

On the subject of English cucumbers, they are practically seedless, and because they’re unwaxed, they do not require peeling, making them a good addition to your list of things than can be successfully spiralized.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
1 English cucumber
1 large carrot
5 or 6 large radishes
few handfuls of baby kale
2 scallions
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 TBS Greek yogurt (optional)

Method:

1. Cook the quinoa according to package directions. Don’t skip the part where you’re directed to rinse the quinoa before cooking. It’s important. Once it’s cooked, spread it out on a sheet pan to cool.
2. Spiralize the cucumber, radishes and carrot with either the slicer blade or the “spaghetti” blade.
3. Tear the baby kale into bite sized pieces. You can find baby kale in plastic containers in the produce section. It’s tender and great for salads.
4. Chop the scallions, both white and green parts.
5. Put all vegetables into a large bowl.
6. Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper together to make the dressing. Adding a couple of tablespoons of Greek yogurt will make it creamy, but that’s optional. Also very good!
7. Once the quinoa has cooled, add it to the bowl of vegetables. Add enough dressing to lightly coat the ingredients and toss to combine.

Change the vegetables to reflect what appeals to you, and what you have on hand. Multi-colored bell peppers can be spiralized. You could also add cherry tomatoes and/or substitute baby arugula for the kale.