I had this salad a few weeks ago at a friend’s house, and I swear I went back for fourths. And then some more before I went to bed. It’s meant to be served cold, but I think it’s best at room temperature, or even a little warmer than that – the goat cheese gets all melty and delicious. The quinoa adds some great protein!

The recipe is courtesy of my lovely new friend Samantha Peris, who in turn found it in SLICE: Health Inspired Food by Barb Davies and Jennifer Rallison.

The Inspiration Salad

Serves 6

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 Medium Yams

2 Cups water or Vegetable Stock

1 Cup quinoa

4 Green Onions, diced

2 cups chickpeas, cooked (19 oz can)

½ cup soft goat cheese, crumbled

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

2/3 cup flax oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon each sea salt and freshly ground pepper

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Here’s how you make it:

Preheat the oven to 425F. Prick the yams several times with a fork and roast them with their skins on, in an uncovered casserole dish for approximately 45 to 60 minutes. Cool, peel and cut the yams into ½ inch cubes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring water or stock to a boil. In a skillet, dry roast the quinoa over a medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the quinoa just begins to pop. Rinse the quinoa then add it to boiling water and reduce to a simmer until all the water has been absorbed.

Remove the quinoa from the heat, fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the green onions, chickpeas, soft goat cheese, basil, yams and cooled quinoa.

For the dressing: In a jar fitted with a secure lid, combine the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper and shake well. Pour the amount of dressing that you like over mixture and toss to coat. Note: add dressing a bit at a time until desired flavour and consistency is reached.

xo Laura