Spinach, Arugula and Quinoa Salad w/ White Wine Vinaigrette

Whoever said salad has to be boring and bland to still be good for you? This salad here is neither boring nor bland but it is a good for you salad that you will always want to make when you want a very refreshing salad to have for dinner or as a side salad with your main meal. My and wife and I always eat this salad as a main dish served with a little bread with olive oil and vinegar for good measure. It can go with a nice sweet to semi bold red or refreshing crisp white. Now I cant claim to have come with this all on my own as I actually first had this salad at a California Pizza Kitchen here in San Diego. We tend to not eat out very often anymore so I tasked myself with recreating this salad. One thing I did not recall being in their's was the spinach, it was arugula only I believe. I like the addition of the spinach not only for it's health benefits but it's wonderful flavor and cruch that it adds. The vinaigrette recipe is one I actually got from got from Guy Fieri of the food network, which overall I dont really care for his recipes but this recipe is simple and tasty. It calls for champagne vinegar which I have had a hard time finding so I  just use white wine vinegar instead. And if you have never had Quinoa before (shame on you :)) this is a good dish to start learning to love it. I usually prepare it in some kind of broth or stock in lieu of water for a little more flavor. And as always use the highest quality ingredients you can get especially the olive oil. So on to the recipe and I hope you all enjoy this salad as much as we do!

For the Salad

2-3 large handfuls baby spinach

1-2 handfuls of baby arugula

1 1/2 C cooked quinoa chilled

1 bunch of asparagus steamed and chilled (I just use the tips)

1 small red onion julienned (or 1/2 a large one)

1/4 C toasted pine nuts

1/2-3/4 C crumbled feta

5-6 sundried tomatos thinly sliced (the ones in oil are fine)

All of the Vinaigrette

For the Vinaigrette

1/4 C white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp minced garlic ( I used about 2 cloves)
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Start by making the vinaigrette and placing it in the fridge to chill so that all the flavors have time to marry

2. Cook your quinoa according to the package and chill completely in the fridge

3. Steam your asparagus until just tender (a little crunch is desireable here), then plunge them into an ice bath to stop the cooking and keep them nice and bright green

4.Once everything is chilled and combine all ingredients into a bowl and toss with the vinaigrette to coat completely

5. Serve and enjoy!