What food do you take travelling?  Airport and roadside offerings are universally dire, as far as I can tell, so we usually try to think ahead and pack food to sustain our family on travel days.

Today was a travel day.  We’ve been in California, visiting my family (including my 98-year-old grandfather), soaking up sunshine.  We headed home tonight on a late flight with three sleepy children, a suitcase full of new crop walnuts, and this salad.To be honest, we often travel with PB&Js and apples (and a few treats) and leave it at that.  But there was cooked quinoa in the fridge today and an endless supply of good avocados, an irresistible combination.   I love the gentle pop of quinoa’s texture with creamy avocado, enhanced here by a selection of crunchy diced vegetables, black beans for added protein, and a generous squeeze of juice from the biggest lemon I’ve ever seen in my life.  Oh, California.  Thanks for the good salad to get us home.

What foods do you take with you when you travel?  Help me stay out of the PB&J rut, friends—we’ll be on the road again soon enough.

Quinoa Salad with Crunchy Veggies and Avocado: Combine 3 c. cooked quinoa with 1 ½ c. cooked and drained black beans and a big handful of chopped cilantro.  Chop some crunchy vegetables into small dice; I used a sweet pepper, half a cucumber, several radishes, and a few green onions.  Mix vegetables into quinoa and beans and squeeze in the juice of a lemon or lime.  Season with salt to taste.  Dice an avocado and gently stir it into the salad.  Don’t forget portable spoons if you’re taking it on the road.