Quinoa Black Bean Salad

Has anyone else dipped into the Halloween candy bowl a few too many times? Especially now that I'm nursing, it's important that I balance out all of those sweets with lots of healthy ready-to-go snacks. This quinoa salad helps me forget about the Milky Way bars and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups lurking in the bottom of our big purple bowl. It is easy to make, full of super-healthy ingredients, and--most importantly--is delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• (1) 15-oz. can chicken broth or stock
• (1) 15-oz. can (or 1 cup) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 2-3 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
• 1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
• Italian dressing (My favorite is this kind.)

{Optional} If you prefer to make your own dressing  (which I don't), you may omit the Italian dressing and will also need:

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation:

1. Pour chicken broth into a medium-sized pot and heat over medium heat. Stir in quinoa and cook and stir (not continuously, just every so often) until the liquid is absorbed. It will look like this when it's done: (Except yours may not have a tiny piece of Kalamata olive in it, haha! I don't like having lots of dirty dishes, so I use the same spoon back and forth.) Set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine black beans, red bell pepper, almonds, green onions, Kalamata olives, and Feta cheese. When the quinoa is cooled, add it to the vegetable mixture, stir well, and chill.
3. If you are serving this to a group, add Italian dressing to taste and stir.
   For individual servings, store it in a big bowl in the fridge and spoon out individual portions, as desired. I will put two big scoops in a bowl, drizzle on some Italian dressing (maybe 1-2 tablespoons?) and stir. So yummy, healthy, and filling!
   
4. {Optional} If you want to make your own dressing, you will also need to do the following:
   To a medium bowl, add salt, pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, and red wine vinegar. Whisk the ingredients as you slowly drizzle in extra-virgin olive oil.
5. A little at a time, pour dressing mixture over quinoa salad, until it is well-dressed, but not too wet. Chill and serve.
   Note: Do not pour all of the dressing over the salad. This recipe makes too much dressing. If you use it all, your salad will be soggy. I may have learned this the hard way.