October is a great time to be unprocessed. Most stores still carry the last of the summer produce, and the pumpkins, squashes and gourds of all types are plentiful.

This challenge is a great opportunity to try new recipes and new ingredients, especially when you can substitute new, healthy ingredients for processed ones. One of those ingredients for me is quinoa … I really enjoy it and want to find more ways to use it. For the second week of the challenge, I combined several different quinoa salad recipes, plus improvised with what was fresh in this week’s CSA box.

Quinoa Salad

• 4 cups quinoa, cooked and cooled to room temperature
• 1 can of tuna in water, drained
• a bunch of fresh sunflower greens, chopped
• a bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 5-6 large mushrooms
• about a pound of fresh Brussels sprouts (10-12 heads), halved
• 2-3 carrots, chopped
• a dash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

While the quinoa is cooking and cooling, roast the mushrooms and Brussels sprouts over high heat with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar until the vegetables are nicely browned. Allow them to cool and slice the mushrooms.

Toss the quinoa with the tuna and feta cheese, add the roasted vegetables (as well as the juices that came from the roasting pan), carrots, and fresh greens, and mix well. Season to taste and top with sliced avocado.