I’ve always had mixed feelings about salad. Don’t get me wrong, I love the taste of salads and always like a good opportunity to get my veggies in, but I’ve struggled to make them filling as a lunch for myself, especially with long, busy grad school days.

This quinoa salad is super fresh and perfect either as a side or on its own. The best part is that you really can just throw all of the prepped ingredients together and go, which is awesome for those weeks where you need to meal prep. I usually like to pair it with grilled chicken and avocado to fill me up, and it has a lot of good ingredients that I think you’ll like too!

• 

• 

Ingredients:

• 1 can of corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup of quinoa (uncooked)
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup diced bell pepper
• 1 handful of parsley, finely chopped
• Romaine lettuce, chopped

Directions:

For the “dressing,” I use the juice of a lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, and salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

Cook your quinoa according to the package instructions and allow it to cool before adding in all of your other ingredients in a large container. Toss in your dressing and enjoy!