This warm combination of greens and other ingredients make a balanced, delicious healthy main dish that can change with what you have available.
Ingredients
One cup quinoa, prepared with vegetable broth following box directions
Four cups (approx.) mixed fresh greens washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
Two sprigs each fresh dill, basil, chives and cilantro, chopped
One cup torn iceberg lettuce
Three calendula flowers and four squash flowers, torn into small pieces (just petals)
Eight very small potatoes
Cotija cheese (or veggie substitute. Dairy can be optional)
Half an 8-oz can garbanzo beans
Two small carrots, sliced into discs
One tomato, diced
A tablespoon olive oil (flavored, if you have it)
One package Morningstar Farms Chicken Strips
For Dressing:
Six fresh shiitake mushrooms
Four strips Morningstar Farms soy Bacon Strips
Three tablespoons pignoli nuts
⅛th cup olive oil
Instructions
Prepare quinoa in medium saucepan using vegetable broth, according to the instructions on the box.
Steam small potatos until tender
Meanwhile, wash, dry and tear up fresh greens, herbs, iceberg and flowers. Put in large bowl.
Crumble about four tablespoons Cotija cheese over greens in bowl.
Add garbanzo beans
Add carrot discs
In frying pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and stir-fry the soy chicken strips until browned (if you have flavored olive oil, such as citrus or basil, use that to cook these).
Add hot soy chicken strips to bowl.
In same frying pan, heat ⅛th cup olive oil on medium high.
Chop shiitake mushrooms and add to frying pan.
Cook mushrooms on medium-high heat until they are almost crunchy.
Add soy bacon strips and pignoli nuts.
Stir nuts until they are browned (watch so they don't burn).
Flip bacon and remove when browned.
Pour contents of pan on mixture in bowl.
Crumble bacon strips and add to bowl.
Add steamed potatoes, quartered to bowl.
Add quinoa to bowl.
Toss contents of bowl until well mixed. Heavy ingredients will sink to the bottom, so be sure to mix well.
Plate the salad and garnish with chopped tomatos and more cheese, if using.
Recipe by Finch Frolic Garden Permaculture at https://www.vegetariat.com/2011/06/crazy-pot-salad/