Quinoa Salad

I'm a big fan of those quinoa/brown rice packets from Costco that you can just microwave. I've delved lately into the world of "real" quinoa and after some trial and error (crunchy mini seeds, anyone?) I think I've got it. I put together this salad the other night as a side dish for rotisserie chicken. It was easy and yummy. It's adapted from a variety of recipes I've seen around Pinterest. This would be a great to make Sunday and pack in lunches for the week. Enjoy! What do you like to do with your quinoa? (hippiest sentence I've ever written)

1. Make your quinoa. I bought a mini mesh strainer to make mine and it makes the rinsing process easier. I've used some kinds that you don't have to rinse, but the ones I've found like that are gluten free and I prefer not to spend $75 on a side dish for dinner (and I'm a fan of the gluten).

2. Make your dressing. You probably have most of this in your pantry. And yes, I use the squeezey garlic. I honestly did just a squirt of each, it was probably around 3 tbsp. each and a dash of salt. Garlic, Red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt.

3. Chop up some baby spinach. I used about half of one of the small containers. Don't you love how precise this recipe is?

4. Cut up 2-3 avocados and sneak some bites.

5. Cut up some cherry tomatoes.

6. When the quinoa is done, add it directly into the bowl with your chopped spinach to help wilt it a bit. Add the avocado, tomatoes, and dressing. Voila! The possibilities are endless here. I was wishing I had some feta. YUM!