Salads make for a great meal when people are looking for light yet filling fare. Salads also offer a lot of versatility, and just about any ingredient can be added to a salad or even serve as the base of a salad. For example, this recipe for "Ham, Fennel and Quinoa Salad" from Lines+Angles features a base of quinoa. When paired with diced ham, the quinoa makes this delicious dish a little more filling than a more traditional salad

Ham, fennel and quinoa salad

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 4 slices cooked ham, about 6 to 8 ounces, diced
• 2 ounces roughly chopped pecans
• 1 1/2 ounces baby salad leaves
• Salt
• Freshly ground black peppercorns

For the dressing:

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

1. Put the quinoa in a saucepan with 3 cups of water and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Spread out on a plate and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
2. Toss the cooled quinoa with the fennel, ham, pecans and baby leaves.
3. To make the dressing, whisk the mustard, honey and vinegar together, then whisk in the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then toss with quinoa salad.