Family Dinner Friday: Goat Cheese and Walnut Hors D'oeuvres & Spring Quinoa Salad

Good morning, everyone. Have you had a good week? Not so much? Well I've got the perfect thing to start your weekend off right, a simple dinner that is healthy, light, and flavorful. I got the salad recipe from here, though I decided to take out the olives because this salad really does not need them. That and I absolutely hate olives. This salad has so many complex and delicious flavors, the saltiness of the olives would definitely detract, in my opinion. The hors d'oeuvres are an original recipe that is the product of my girlfriend experimenting in the kitchen. She first tried them with a drizzle of honey, but since this particular brand of goat-cheese already had honey in it, that was a no-go. 

I realized after I had taken the pictures of the salad that I had forgotten to add the chickpeas! Silly me, but luckily it just took a quick stir and they were fully incorporated. 

Walnut H'ors D'ovures:

Roasted Vegetable Ritz Crackers

Honey Goat Cheese

Walnuts

1. Smear as much or as little goat cheese on a Ritz Cracker as you would like

2. Stick a walnut on top

3. Enjoy - these are delicious, easy, with priceless presentation value

Quinoa Salad:

1 1/3 Cup Uncooked Quinoa

2 2/3 Cup Water

1/4 Cup Red Onion

1 Cucumber

3 Medium Tomatoes

1 Can Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)

Feta

2 Ripe Avocados

For the Dressing:

1 Lemon

Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic

Salt/Pepper

Oregano

1. Wash the quinoa, and boil it in the water until cooked

2. Chop the cucumber, tomato, and red onion

3. Combine with the Garbanzo beans and Feta

4. Stir in the cooked quinoa

5. Add the juice of one lemon to a separate bowl. Add an equal amount of Olive Oil to the juice. Press the garlic into the same bowl, add a dash of salt, a crack of pepper, and a few shakes of Oregano. Whisk until fully combined.

6. Drizzle over the entire salad and stir to combine. 

7. Cut up the avocado whichever way you see fit, I find it easiest to make a grid pattern across the avocado with a knife, and scoop out the rectangles with a spoon.

8. Disperse the avocado around the bowl, or incorporate it with the rest of the salad.