Lunchbox quinoa salad

I'm forever trying to come up with nice lunches which will travel to work and not end up a soggy mess. Quinoa is one of my favourite grains which I've neglected of late while having a lovely time eating vast amounts of rice with leftover casseroles - what is it about winter that makes you feel the need for a hot lunch even in an often overheated (or freezing cold in our case) office!

However, the weather is improving so my mind turns to salad. I've never been one for rice in salads whereas I do think quinoa is a great base. It's a grain that takes on flavour really well but has a bit more bite and body (as well as a great deal more protein) than couscous or rice. It really does deserve it's reputation as a superfood and is even better when combined with other delicious vegetables.

The salad below could be a mix of just about anything but I thought I should include a recipe as a place to start. Use any vegetables you have in your fridge and any combination of cheeses, meats or seeds as your extra bit of protein and flavour. The ingredients given below are per lunchbox, you will see a lot of halves as I was making up two lunches but vary the ingredients as much or as little as you need.

Lunchbox quinoa salad

Ingredients:

3 heaped tbsp cooked quinoa (packet instructions vary but soak then cook in salted water or stock for 12-15 minutes)
Feta, around 40g, broken into rough cubes
Cherry tomatoes - a handful
1/2 roasted red pepper (jarred again although as with previous posts you can make your own)
1/2 little gem lettuce
1/2 avocado
1/4 cucumber - seeds scraped out with a teaspoon
1.5 spring onions
Dressing made from zatar spice mix, dried chilli flakes, salt, pepper, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil - mix to taste but I use approx 1 tsp of zatar and chilli, pinch of salt and grind of pepper, juice of 1/2 lemon and a splash of oil

Method:

Chop up all your veggies into bite size pieces.
Spoon your cooked (and cooled) quinoa into lunchboxes.
Add the chopped vegetables and cheese.
Dress the salad and taste to check seasoning.
Seal the box up ready to enjoy for work the next day!

NB: You may wish to take the dressing in a jam jar or similar to avoid the lettuce going soft although I quite like giving the dressing a chance to soak in and mingle with the other flavours - also I hate taking too many containers to work!