Girls-nights-in

Few weeks back, I had the wonderful opportunity to feature my food at a 'Girls-night-in' at a friend's house. It was a great evening, spent, talking, mingling and networking with a bunch of awesome women. It was indeed a very inspiring night and am hoping that my friend's kind gesture to host the event will lead to more recognition and more opportunities for me to cook.

Here is one of the 5 recipes featured that evening. Stay tuned and will add more soon. Enjoy :)

Quinoa salad with cranberries and arugula

For the salad:

3 cups cooked quinoa (cooked as per package directions.)

¼ cup frozen corn; defrosted

¼ cup scallions; finely chopped

¼ cup green pepper; finely diced (optional)

1 cup baby arugula leaves
¼ cup cucumber; peeled and finely chopped

¼ cup halved green grapes (optional)

½ cup dried cranberries

2 Tbsps. chopped cilantro leaves

salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing:
In a separate small bowl, blend together 3 Tbsp. extra virgin
olive oil, 2 Tbsp. orange juice, 1 tsp. honey, salt and pepper to taste.

Combine all the salad ingredients in a large shallow bowl. Mix in the blended dressing. Serve either cold or at room temperature.