What's for Lunch?

Quinoa Salad with Sunflower Seeds

Field of Sunflowers by Vicki Smith

The sliver of sunflowers is at the very edge of a vast expanse of flowers where visitors to this farm can choose colorful backdrops for the selfies that they will post on social media. I’m more accustomed to sunflowers blooming in late August, so I believe that these are the dwarf variety as they have been in full flower since before mid-July. Sunflowers, the national flower of the Ukraine, have represented peace and resilience since they were planted at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear crisis and have taken on new significance since the Russian invasion over a year ago. Sunflowers are said to have been first introduced to Europe when the Spanish brought them over from the New World in the 17th century. The sale of sunflower oil has been key in the modern Ukrainian economy.

Sunflower seeds I associate with baseball players, and it is not a pretty association as I picture them spewing out the shells onto the field. The game of baseball has always been a part of my family as my dad, brother, and son all played the game. I have early memories of attending exhibition games that were held in Cooperstown, N.Y. each summer. This annual Hall of Fame game was played at Doubleday Field starting in 1939, between two major league teams, and the tradition continued for the next seventy years. The game was held on the same day that new players were inducted into the Hall of Fame and my grandfather always managed to snag tickets. Apparently, players began snacking on sunflower seeds in the 1950s to counter a dry mouth from the dirt on the field and to reduce the anxiety that could build up waiting for your next at-bat or turn in the field. Major League Baseball banned seeds in 2020 during the pandemic to prevent players from spitting and spreading germs. I’m not sure if the ban is still in place, but my husband is watching the Yankees now so I may check in on the game and the seed situation.

When grocery shopping I tend to give priority to planning dinner, giving short shrift to lunches. Too often I come home with the same-old deli turkey for sandwiches, so I decided to switch things up this week with a batch of quinoa salad with fresh vegetables, a generous amount of parsley, and topped with crunchy sunflower seeds. The salad travels well if you want to pack it up for work or take on a picnic. And once you have put in the effort you will have enough salad for several lunches. Add some slices of avocado or feta cheese to make the salad more filling.

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa Salad with Sunflowers

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

1 clove garlic

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tomato, diced

1 cucumber, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

16 oz. cooked chickpeas

1 cup parsley, coarsely chopped

3 T. Sherry vinegar

1/3 cup roasted sunflower seeds

Directions

Follow the directions on the package to cook the quinoa. Add the clove of garlic (do not remove the skin) to the pot of quinoa while it cooks. Remove from heat and cool for five minutes with the lid on the pot. Place the quinoa in a bowl, remove the garlic, and smash it with the back of a knife to remove the skin. Mince the garlic and add it to the quinoa along with the olive oil. Stir. Continue to cool on the countertop.

Toss quinoa with the vegetables, chick peas, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Chill in the refrigerator. Top with sunflower seeds just before serving.

Thanks for reading!

Vicki