Nectarine & Heirloom Tomato Quinoa Salad

Another simple recipe that might become a lunch favorite since good heirloom tomatoes are in season. You could easily switch out the nectarines to other stone fruits (like slightly unripe peaches or apricots). It's a solid lunch salad that leaves me full but is still light. You could add some feta cheese for a bit of tang but I don't think it's necessary. I ate this for four meals straight and didn't get tired of it.

I don't normally cook or make things on repeat but this ratio of vegetables and fruits to quinoa was the perfect amount for me and I might be using this ratio with other fruits and vegetables throughout summer. I'm calling this the summer salad of 2018 at casa Nabeela. If I weren't planning on eating this salad as my only meal, I'd say it'd easily serve 8 with a protein component (like maybe grilled salmon, yum!).

Recipe adapted from Cook Beautiful, Athena Calderone
Makes 5 servings

Ingredients:
4 tbsp lemon juice (and zest of one of the lemons before juicing)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
5 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 large red onion, sliced
2 lbs heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges
3 large nectarines, cut into wedges
3/4 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions and cooled
1/2 small bunch tarragon, leaves very coarsely chopped
1/3 bunch parsley, leaves & tender stems coarsely chopped
4 sprigs mint, leaves coarsely torn
8 sprigs basil, leaves coarsely torn
flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Procedure:
Make the dressing first by whisking lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic and sea salt and set aside. In a very large serving bowl, mix together tomatoes and red onion and add about 4 tbsp or so of dressing and toss to coat while you work on the rest of the salad. This will allow for juices to collect and the onions to become less pungent by slightly pickling them. Add the nectarines and quinoa to the tomato mixture with the tarragon and parsley and add the rest of the dressing and toss gently. Don't over-mix. You want the vegetables and fruits to still hold shape. Add mint and basil leaves and toss gently again. Serve with a good helping of flaky sea salt sprinkled on top of each serving.