Yes, sometimes it is necessary to improvise in the kitchen. Maybe you’ve got family coming over for a big visit. Maybe you remember a couple family members are vegetarians as you’re putting the roast beef in the oven. Maybe it’s 8:30 a.m. and everybody is showing up at noon. You have a pantry and fridge full of great ingredients, but no specific recipes in mind. Time to make magic in the kitchen.

In less than an hour I created an Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Quinoa Salad. My method is simple: Take everything you’ve got that would taste good in a quinoa salad and combine with cooked quinoa. In my kitchen yesterday morning that meant red pepper, frozen corn, a can of chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, mint, the juice of two limes, lime zest and plenty of salt and pepper. Simple and delicious. I enjoyed the freedom of creating a dish of the moment, adding ingredients on the fly, tasting as I went. Had the items been in my fridge, I could have popped in some asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, or radish—the options really are endless. A success with the vegetarians and meat eaters alike, my spontaneous salad hit the mark and was even better the next day for lunch. Annabelle Waugh, Canadian Living’s food director, is the ultimate freestyle quinoa salad creator. She uses whatever’s in the fridge to make a refreshing salad and then tops it off with a terrific dressing. The next time I get creative with a quinoa salad, I might take Annabelle's suggestions to throw in some crumbled feta and dress with wine vinegar and olive oil!