Chilled Kasha and Oat Basil Summer Veggie Salad

I love waking up feeling slightly sore from a great workout.  That’s how I feel today!  After a week off from Pump It I was back and ready to join + teach. 

The entire workout left my muscles a-shakin’.  I taught the chest section which was fun.  We did a lot of push ups at 3 different levels (everyone’s favorite ), plus rounded it out with chest flies.  A great morning indeed.

With every class I feel more and more confident and comfortable teaching.  My cueing is getting better, I’m able to focus on giving technique tips instead of just counting down the reps and it’s just all around a good time.

Are you a fan of push ups?  I love them.  They’re like lunges.  Challenging, but super effective.

It is crazy to think that July is already here.  I didn’t even realize June was over until I pulled a grocery receipt from my wallet on Sunday and realized I needed to add up my June receipt to see how I did on my food budget.

June was another impressive month.  I ended right on the dot at $400.

The cash system is working well for me!  Makes me one happy girl.

Focusing on less expensive meals helps too.  Each week I include at least 1 vegetarian meal.  But this week there will actually be two.  Shhhhh don’t tell Jacob!  I’m sure he won’t mind pizza Friday night as the other vegetarian meal

I followed the 3-2-2 concept when meal planning over the weekend.

3 meat meals
2 fish meals
2 vegetarian meals

It’s an interesting concept so be sure to head over to The Healthy Apron to read about it.

I’ll give you a minute…

Okay, now that you’ve read about it, you need a vegetarian meal to throw in there right?  Well I’ve got just the thing.

This chilled grain salad is super versatile, easy to prepare and make a lot of food.  Use whatever grains you have on hand.  I used a combo of oat groats and kasha (toasted buckwheat).  Quinoa would be delicious here too!

The great thing about salads like this is you can use basically any veggie + bean combo.  Want something more Mediterranean?  Add in olive, artichoke, tomato and cucumber + white beans. 

Inspired for something Mexican?  You can do that!  Amp up the bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and use black beans + replace half the basil with cilantro. 

What would you add to your chilled salad?

Chilled Kasha and Oat Basil Veggie Salad
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup oat groats
• 1 cup kasha
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 zucchini, diced
• 1 lb asparagus, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 2 cups basil leaves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 3 cups cooked pinto beans (or 2 cans drained + rinsed)

Directions

I prepped each step throughout the day so when it was time to throw the meal together it just took a couple minutes. 

1. Add the oat groats + 1 cup water to a pot.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. 
2. Stir in the kasha + 2 cups of water + 1/4 tsp sea salt.  Return to a simmer for 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed.  Allow to come to room temperature then chill in the fridge.
3. Bring your oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with olive oil spray.  Add the diced veggies onto the sheet, coat them with olive oil spray and toss together with 1/2 tsp sea salt + 1/2 tsp pepper.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until veggies are tender.  Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature, then in fridge.
4. When it’s time to serve, add the basil, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, 1/4 tsp sea salt and walnuts to a food processor.  Pulse until everything is combined and uniform in size.
5. In a large serving bowl mix together the grains, veggies, beans and basil dressing.

Like what you read?  Subscribe to the feed or by email to be the first with your hands on new healthy, budget friendly recipes, kitchen how-to’s, fitness tips, workout videos and home workouts with some life and home balance thrown in there. 

Leave a comment below or email me at gethealthywithheather@comcast.net to connect, ask any questions or share your thoughts.