Zona's Summer Salad

Working on an updated website for the Historical League, www.HistoricalLeague.org, Zona Lorig created a delicious spinach salad for a lunch break with Ruth McLeod.

Zona's secret salad dressing is a simplified version of Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette on page 21 of Tastes & Treasures cookbook. She used fresh lemon juice and Maple Syrup (from her cousins in Quebec).

A great one to experiment in the kitchen, Zona included quinoa to the salad for a wonderful nutty flavor.

Spinach Quinoa Salad
Salad Ingredients:
1 cup red quinoa, cooked
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
 Cook quinoa in the broth according to package directions. Add salt to taste.
 Chill quinoa before mixing with the following ingredients. Use as much quinoa as you would like with the spinach; use the remainder at a later time.
6 ounces baby spinach, washed and thoroughly drained
16 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2-3 Persian cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
3/4 cup sugar plum tomatoes, sliced in half
3 green onions, thinly sliced
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup slivered toasted almonds

Dressing Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Mix well and add to salad.