Summer Fresh Quinoa Salad

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Then get a small pot on the stove and bring the stock to a low boil in it. Pour in the quinoa and give it a stir, then cover the pot and turn the heat to low. Let the quinoa cook until tender for about 10–12 minutes. The little tendrils should pop out and the liquid all cooked off. While the quinoa cooks, transfer the halved cherry tomatoes and diced zucchini into a baking dish. Add the olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder and toss everything well to coat the veggies. Get the baking dish into the hot oven to roast the veggies for about 15 minutes. The zucchini should get tender but not be turned to mush.

Take the cooked quinoa and fluff it up with a fork when it is done. Then transfer it to a large bowl and toss it thoroughly with the roasted zucchini and tomatoes, the spinach, almonds and basil. Dress it with your favorite salad dressing (I found a wonderful avocado cilantro yogurt based one) and serve immediately warm or at room temperature! It also is fantastic chilled.