Millet Avocado Spinach Salad

Talk about one of my favorite salads!  I love this millet, avocado, spinach creation!  I love how simple this salad is to toss together, yet when I eat it, it has such a variety of textures and flavors that all come together so perfectly... sweet tomatoes, creamy avocados, grainy millet, etc.  Adding the millet also helps fill me up and leaves me feeling satisfied.  I also love how this salad is packed with nutritional value.  The fresh veggies and then the added health benefits of the millet really leave me smiling (literally) knowing I'm doing my body good by eating this.  (Now I just have to not give into the temptation of opening up the cookie tupperware when I put this bowl in the dishwasher.  Sometimes I'm successful, and sometimes not so much.)

Feel free to add beans for an extra protein punch or swap out the red wine vinegar for lemon juice if you'd like.  You can also swap out the millet for quinoa, and as always with most salads, you can add more of what you love and take away a little of what you don't.  Make it to your taste buds desire!  

Millet, Avocado, Spinach Salad

Ingredients
1/2 cup dry millet
1 avocado
2-3 cups baby spinach
10-15 cherry tomatoes
1 green onion

For the Dressing:
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
salt, to taste

Directions
Cook the millet according to package, or if there's no package just cook it like you cook rice.  I sometimes like to saute it first with a little olive oil and garlic then add some lime juice into the water - like a lime millet (kind of like cilantro lime rice).

Meanwhile make the dressing: In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients and set aside.

Roughly chop the spinach and place in a large bowl.  Halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the green onions, and pit and dice the avocado.

When the millet is done cooking, add it to the spinach and toss.  The spinach may wilt slightly from the warm millet.  Add the tomatoes, onions, and dressing and toss to combine.  Then add the avocado and lightly toss it all together.  You can either serve immediately or refrigerate to allow the flavors to marry together more.

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from The Garden Grazer