Friday, June 17, 2011

Quinoa Salad

2 cups quinoa*
4 cups water

Cook the quinoa by boiling water, adding the quinoa, boiling it again (just like rice), cover and lower the temp to simmer for 15 min.  Cool off the quinoa by putting it in the freezer while you chop the following veggies:

1 large de-seeded tomato
1 large de-seeded cucumber
1 large de-seeded green pepper (or if you like - use a different color to make it vibrant)
1 bunch (4-5 stalks) green onion

1 cup crumbled feta
3 lemons
1/2-3/4 cup olive oil

fresh chopped dill to taste
fresh chopped flat leave parsley to taste
salt/pepper to taste

Once you have the quinoa cooked and chilled and the veggies chopped it's pretty easy.  I whip up the olive oil & juice from three lemons in a big bowl.  Add salt/pepper to taste and then throw all the veggies in with the dressing.  At the end, toss in the feta cheese.

This makes a great salad - serve cold or at room temp.  It's very filling, gluten free and a tasty way to get your veggies!

*You might be asking, what the hell is quinoa?  WHFoods says this about quinoa:   

Most commonly considered a grain, quinoa is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard. It is a recently rediscovered ancient "grain" once considered "the gold of the Incas." 

If you are used to couscous - quinoa is very similar and quite versatile.

3 comments:

  1. That looks great! I love quinoa! My favorite way to prepare it is to boil it in chicken or veggie stock. Definitely enhances the flavor.

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  2. I don't usually enjoy feta, but I would totally taste this to see how it goes...

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  3. Lani - I actually used goat cheese in it last night. Much less "bite"-ey than feta.

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