This post is brought to you by USA Pulses and Pulses Canada.<\/div>\n

Last Thursday turned into a fiasco. I woke up and started powering through my to-do list, for once. Emails? Check. Laundry? Check. Groceries? Check. High five, self!<\/p>\n

Then my landlord came over to work on some things. As I was talking to him and trying to clean off the counters, Cookie leapt up in a truly impressive feat and swiped a hunk of dark chocolate cake off the counter. She gobbled it down before I could stop her. I tried the hydrogen peroxide thing, but it wasn’t enough, so we zoomed over to the vet.<\/p>\n

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My Cookie girl spent the afternoon behind closed doors, and we went back the next afternoon, too. We’ve both been moving a little slow since then. She’s generally such an exuberant force, and she’s recovered about ninety percent now. It’s cute when she grabs cabbage from the counter, but chocolate, not so much (I’m careful, too).<\/p>\n

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I finalized these salad details while she was away, and it was a relief to come home to a healthy dinner after a stressful day. Quinoa salads can be both super nutritious and delicious, and this one is definitely both.<\/p>\n

In addition to quinoa (which is cooked to fluffy perfection using my preferred method<\/a>), I added chickpeas, which are rich in fiber, protein and nutrients like manganeses and folate (source<\/a>). I added loads of fresh flavor to the quinoa-chickpea base with spinach, parsley, cilantro and green onion.<\/p>\n

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The salad wasn’t quite awesome enough until I added freshly toasted pepitas and some creamy, crumbled feta cheese (which could be replaced by sliced Kalamata olives, if you’d rather). Then I poured in a zippy, garlicky, lemony dressing made lightly creamy with some tahini. This salad would be a great packed lunch, and it would also be a lovely vegetarian (easily vegan) addition to your holiday table.<\/p>\n

This is my last post created to celebrate the United Nation’s International Year of Pulses. “Pulse” is the more general name for beans, lentils and peas (a few of my favorite ingredients). For more information about the benefits of pulses, and to join me in committing to eat one serving of pulses every week, visit PulsePledge.com<\/a>. To see my other recipes, check out my Greek lentil salad<\/a>, fresh seven-layer dip<\/a> and broccoli, chickpea and avocado chickpea pita sandwiches<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Watch How to Make Perfectly Fluffy Quinoa<\/h3>\n\n
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