The Law School Transplant - If you don't find me helpful, hopefully you'll find me at least mildly entertaining.

The dog days of summer have arrived, and it is HOT here in the deep South. During these miserably hot, humid days, I don’t have much of an appetite at lunch for anything except cold foods – salads, sandwiches and the like. At the same time, in an effort to be healthier and more budget-conscious, I’ve also been trying to bring my lunch to work more often. But, dressed salad greens are often wilty come lunchtime, and quite frankly, they get a little boring after a while. So, I whipped up this quick, cool quinoa salad to take for lunch along with a turkey wrap.

For the uninitiated, quinoa is – to me, at least – pretty darn close to being a perfect food. It’s a whole grain, but it’s also a complete protein, which keeps you full longer. Its slightly nutty flavor is delicious all by itself, but quinoa also serves as a great backdrop for a delicious pilaf or cold salad.

I made this salad with stuff I had hanging around in my fridge and pantry, so feel free to mix it up and add or substitute other ingredients. I happened to have sugar snap peas, but cucumbers would work equally well. Likewise, halved grape tomatoes would be a perfect addition for all you tomato lovers.

Ingredients

1 c. dry quinoa
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 can sliced black olives, drained
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
A handful of sugar snap peas, trimmed and sliced
1/8 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
Vinaigrette of your choosing (I used a combination of balsamic and red wine vinaigrettes in mine; a non-creamy Caesar would be delicious, too)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Thoroughly rinse the quinoa with cold water. Bring the quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the quinoa has soaked up all the water. Remove from heat and let the quinoa cool.

2. Toss the cooled quinoa with the garbanzo beans, olives, artichoke hearts, snap peas and onion.

3. Add vinaigrette, about a tablespoon at a time, and stir, until salad is bound together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the fridge and enjoy!

Makes about 4 generous 1-cup servings.

Note: After a couple days in the fridge, you might want to add a little extra dressing if the salad has gotten a little dry.

Let me hear from you: What cool recipes are helping you to beat the summer heat?