Salad Topper (Vegan and Gluten-Free)

Recipe from Feasting at Home 
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Makes 1½ cups

This is an easy-to-make, delicious way to add a nice crunch to your favorite salads, soups or bowls.  It’s made with toasted quinoa and seeds.  You can keep this simple or add your favorite seasonings.  (This is a great way to use up leftover quinoa.)

For the Crispy Quinoa
1 cup cooked quinoa 
2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt

For the Seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
¼ cup hemp seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon tamari or Braggs Aminos

Toss the cooked quinoa (thoroughly cooled) with olive oil and salt.  Spread onto two sheet pans in a thin layer.  (See notes) Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
In a bowl, mix together the sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds with 1 Tablespoon tamari or Braggs Aminos.  Spread onto a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes.  After the seeds are completely cool, mix with the crispy quinoa and store in an airtight container for up to a month.

Notes:
• If making fresh quinoa for this recipe, it is important to let it cool completely, otherwise it will not crisp easily.
• Spreading the quinoa on two pans in single layers will help it dry out. When it is clumped on the pan it will just steam and not crisp up.
• Quinoa- cooked and cooled, can make a day or two before baking. Use white, red or black quinoa. A mixture is nice for color.
• Seeds- sunflower, hulled hemp, pumpkin, sesame – adjust to what you have on hand.
• You can use a little salt instead of the tamari/Braggs to keep things neutral.

Ways to Enhance the Salad Topper:
• Toast chopped nuts with the seeds.
• Add lemon zest, coriander, Aleppo pepper, smoked paprika.
• Add mushroom powder.
• Add fennel seeds, sumac or za’atar.
• For a sweet twist add a little coconut sugar, cinnamon, or 5-spice powder and orange zest.

Nutritional Information: (2 Tablespoon serving) 158 calories; 0.1g sugars; 182.3mg sodium; 10.8g fat; 1.5g saturated fat; 11.7g carbohydrates; 2.3g fiber; 5.5g protein; 0mg cholesterol