BBQ Quinoa Bites Salad

Lettuce has taken over our house. If I'm being honest, I don't love salads. Does anyone really love salads? If your answer is yes, I'm calling you a liar. In the summer, we are members of a community supported agriculture farm share. This means we pay a fee to our favorite local farm, Cure Organic, for a weekly share of their produce. It's June in Colorado so right now that means lettuce, lots of lettuce, carrots, and radishes. I also have yet to meet a person who loves radishes. So this year I'm determined to make awesome salads.

This salad is in fact pretty awesome. The BBQ quinoa bites I actually quite love. And because we are all about full disclosure here, I don't really like quinoa. Or at least I didn't until these crispy delights came along. They would also make for a delicious appetizer served with some spicy ranch. These quinoa bites in combination with black beans, corn, avocado, and honey mustard vinaigrette make for a hearty, healthy, wonderful salad. Because if we must eat salad, I demand it be the best darn salad, which this salad happens to be.

BBQ Quinoa Bites Salad 
Serves 4, dressing adapted from How Sweet Eats

BBQ Quinoa Bites
1 cup dry quinoa
4 tbs of your favorite BBQ sauce
1/2 cups cheddar cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette 
3 tbs honey
3 tbs dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
6 tbs balsamic vinegar (golden if you have it)
1/3 cup olive oil

Salad
6 cups lettuce mix
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
1 can beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup corn
1 avocado, sliced

Rinse quinoa in a strainer and then combine in a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, turn to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. While quinoa is cooking, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil a baking sheet and set aside.

Mix together with a spatula cooked quinoa, 3 tbs BBQ sauce, cheddar, egg, salt, and pepper. Drop 2 tablespoons of mixture onto the baking sheet. These will be loose and free form but will bake up nicely. Bake for 22-25 minutes, flipping half way and brushing with remaining tablespoon of BBQ sauce. You want them to get a little crispy on the outside.

For the dressing whisk together all the ingredients minus the olive oil. Once combined, slowly drizzle in olive oil, while whisking.

Layer your salad with lettuce, carrots, beans, corn, avocado, and quinoa bites. Drizzle over your dressing.