I could probably shorten the title of this post to “BLT Quinoa Salad”. I mean, let’s call a spade a spade, right? This salad puts a (slightly) fancy, vegan twist on a classic BLT by doing this…

1| swapping out bacon for crispy, salty, smoky shiitake “bacon”

2| benching iceberg and sending fresh butter lettuce onto the field plate

3| casting aside bland, sliced tomatoes and making room for roasted roma tomato wedges

4| bidding mayo farewell and welcoming fresh, flavorful sunflower seed + basil dressing

5| trading sliced bread for quinoa because why not?

I could keep up the persuasive front, but I think I’d rather let this salad speak for itself…

To make this layered salad, you’ll start by making the shiitake bacon recipe from this pasta dish. Then, you’ll cut roma tomatoes into wedges, drizzle them with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt + pepper, and roast them in the oven alongside the shiitakes until they’re tender.

While the mushrooms and tomatoes are roasting, you’ll make a quick and simple batch of quinoa and prepare the butter lettuce. The last element is a creamy sunflower seed + basil dressing that balances the acidity of the tomatoes and brings more life to an already lively salad. Watch out, things are bound to get real. In my world, real = furious fork-to-plate-to-mouth movements that elicit the potential for quinoa to land in places it typically isn’t welcome (e.g., my hair).

You can either enjoy this dish right after making it or refrigerate each component separately and toss them together each morning to enjoy for lunch throughout the week. If you opt for the later and enjoy this while at work, just be sure to check yourself for misplaced quinoa after eating. I left work one day and found a single piece that had taken shelter within my hair. Let’s just say I’m quickly phasing out the “long hair, don’t care” motto for a more suitable one: Quinoa in the hair, don’t care.