Guacamole Quinoa Salad

Here's a new salad I made for a recent party and it was a big hit.  It's gluten-free, vegetarian, and the leftovers are great (if there are any).

2 cups dried quinoa, cooked per package directions
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut into quarters
1/3 cup scallions, diced
1/4 cup of cilantro, minced
Juice of 2-3 limes, to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
3 avocados, cut into bite-sized cubes

Cook and cool the quinoa, and fluff it with a fork.  Mix in the olive oil, salt, cilantro, and lime juice.

Toss in the scallions and tomatoes and let it sit for a few hours before serving to let the flavors meld.

Right before serving, cut the avocado and toss it into the salad gently, so as to keep the pieces mostly in tact, but if some "mushes" into the quinoa, that's great too.

Enjoy!

Layered Greek Dip

I have to credit my sister-in-law Holli for this gem of a recipe -- she brought it to a party at my house and it was a HUGE hit with everyone.   And it's so easy to make -- even if you can't cook at all, you can make this and impress people at your next party.

I think a large shallow bowl works best for this in terms of presentation and function, but do feel free to use whatever type of bowl you prefer.

The first layer is 8 ounces of hummus.
Then sprinkle 8 ounces of chopped artichoke hearts over the hummus.
The next layer is 8 ounces of tzatziki sauce.
Then sprinkle 8 ounces of chopped roasted red peppers.
Follow that with 8 ounces of crumbled feta cheese.
Top that with 1/2 cup of minced flat leaf parsely.
Zest one lemon over the top of the parsley and sprinkle with chopped kalamata olives, to taste.

Serve with pita chips and enjoy!