Mega Crunchy Romaine Salad with Quinoa

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1/3 cup swater
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• small head of romaine (about11 ounce s) or one 5-to-6-ounce bag of romaine, chopped into bite-sized piece s
• cup shredded carrots (I used2 large carrots, turned into ribbons with a julienne peeler and roughly chopped)
• cup chopped cabbage (green or purple) or broccoli slaw
• 1/2 cup chopped radishes
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• tablespoon slime juice (about2 medium limes)
• tablespoon srice vinegar
• 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro
• teaspoon shoney or maple syrup
• medium clove sgarlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or regular chili powder

Instructions

1. To cook the quinoa: Combine the quinoa and water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat, then decrease the heat a bit to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat as time goes on to maintain a gentle simmer.
2. Remove the pot from heat, cover, and let the quinoa steam for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, and set aside to cool.
3. To toast the sunflower seeds: Combine the sunflower seeds and olive oil in a medium skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently (careful, they’ll burn), until the seeds are fragrant and starting to turn lightly golden on the edges. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
4. In a large serving bowl, combine the prepared romaine, carrots, cabbage, radishes and cranberries. Once the quinoa and sunflower seeds have cooled, add them to the bowl as well.
5. To prepare the dressing: In a blender or small food processor, combine all of the ingredients and blend well, pausing to scrape down the sides as necessary. Taste, and adjust as necessary it should be zippy, but if it’s overwhelmingly tart, add a bit more honey. If you’d like a little more kick, add another ¼ teaspoon chili powder.
6. If you’ll be serving the salad all at once, drizzle in enough dressing to lightly coat the salad once tossed (you might not use all of it), and toss to combine. If you intend to have leftovers, store the salad separately from the dressing, and toss just before serving.