Whole wheat pita sandwiches

This is the simplest and quickest lunch possible -- and yet very delicious! There aren't a whole lot of ingredients and there is hardly any cooking at all so it really helps if the ingredients are fresh and of good quality. This is perfect for a takeout lunch -- to office or to a weekend hike!

I love whole wheat pita bread but many times the whole wheat pita that I get from supermarkets are very cardboardish.. specially when eaten cold. If I eat the pita warm then it tastes much better but if you need to eat cold pita then I feel the quality of the pita really matters. Anyway, for some time now I have been buying whole wheat pita at Trader Joe's and have been really happy with them.

This lunch is more of an assembly than cooking :) The ingredients are really versatile as well, its usually what I have at hand.

2 whole wheat pita
dressing -- my favorite is Trader Joe's cilantro jalapeno hummus, but a regular hummus or a yogurt-cucumber-mint sauce or a sun-dried tomato pesto works equally well.
Veggies - slices of heirloom tomatoes, roasted red peppers, cucumbers
Greens - spinach or salad greens
Herbs - basil
salt & pepper

Cut the pita in half and toast on a hot griddle for a few minutes toasting both sides. Then carefully open up the pita and spread the dressing on one of the inner sides. Add rest of the ingredients; stuff the pita well so the veggies will not spill out (specially if you are packing it). Enjoy! If its a to-go lunch then wrap the sandwich well in a cling-wrap.

Quinoa Salad

Recently we have fallen into this ritual of visiting local farmers markets every weekend. The good part of living in a large city is that we have two different choices for farmers markets: Saturday @ Sunnyvale or Sunday @ Mountain view! There is just something about the fresh produce and fruits that gets me the fuel to cook at home for the week ahead....

This is our lunch on most days after coming back from farmers market. This salad comes together so quickly and is so wonderful! The fresh produce is exactly what makes this quinoa salad so yummy!

Recipe: Quinoa Salad

2 C quinoa

2 tomatoes

1 red pepper

1/2 red onion

3 celery sticks

1/2 C chopped cilantro or parsley or basil

olive oil/lime juice/red wine vinegar/salt/pepper/lemon rind

1 tsp cumin powder

pinch of oregano

Cook quinoa per package directions. I buy my quinoa in stock from Bob's red mills which comes pre-washed; but if its not pre-washed, you may need to rinse it clear first. I boiled 4C water and then added quinoa and cooked covered for 14mins (or until quinoa has absorbed all the water and has fluffed up well). Remove from heat and set aside.

Chop all the veggies in byte sized pieces. Mix all the ingredients together; adjust the seasonings per taste. Let sit for half an hour before serving for flavors to develop.

Variations: This would go great with some black beans and fresh corn added for a southwestern twist. Another variation which I love is to add some toasted slivered almond slices and raisins.