Quinoa Salad

This is really good.

You've probably read in the news (no? you don't read food blogs all the time and consider them news?) that quinoa is a super healthy seed (not grain) that we should all be eating more of. APPARENTLY it is a complete protein, low in calories, and high in fiber.

I have no clue if this is true or not, but what I do know is this: It tastes good.

Quinoa Salad

I made quinoa last week using some veggies I'd gotten at the farmer's market and some vinaigrette, and MAN did it turn out well. Light, flavorful, and SUPER healthy - all things that I strive for at least once a month when I start to feel guilty about using so much dang cheese and cream in my cooking.

I don't really feel that bad, I just like veggies too sometimes.

First, I made a very light vinaigrette with the following things:

juice ½ lemon or lime
½ teaspoon anchovy paste
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon garlic paste
black pepper
¼ cup olive oil

Now, calm down about the garlic and anchovy pastes. Garlic paste is GREAT when you don't feel like mincing garlic really finely, and gives a less pungent garlic flavor to raw garlic sauces such as this one. If you don't have it mince up one clove of garlic and call it a day - no biggie! But, if you're looking for something new and handy to keep in your fridge at all times, throw out $3 in the italian aisle next time you're at the grocery store and buy some!

Anchovy paste is also wonderful. Be advised: it doesn't taste fishy. Not even a little bit. It tastes REALLY salty and nutty and adds a depth of flavor kind of like Worcestershire sauce - don't be afraid of it! If you don't have it, add a few pinches of salt and move on with your life.

I'm sorry to be so bossy - it's a first child thing.

To make the vinaigrette, mix the garlic, anchovy, red pepper, black pepper (optional), lime juice (in my case), and olive oil together in a dish with a fork and set aside.

I use a fork because this is a small amount of dressing, but if you double or triple the recipe for leftovers or to take to a large gathering, feel free to shake the dressing in a covered jar or use a whisk. Whatever gets it mixed! Taste the dressing in these proportions - add more oil or water if it's too salty/acidic, or a sprinkle of salt or more lemon/lime juice if you want a more acidic dressing. This is my go-to vinaigrette - make lots and use it for salads later!

Now that we have dressing, let's get the quinoa ready. Quinoa cooks just like rice - 2 to 1 ratios of water and quinoa, bring to a boil, simmer for 10-13 minutes until the water is all absorbed. Easy!

These pictures made about enough salad for 3 adult meal portions or 4 side portions. I used ¾ cup quinoa and 1 ½ cups water.

I stir the quinoa once or twice during the cooking process to be sure it doesn't stick to the bottom, but I'm not sure if that's necessary or not. It didn't seem to hurt it, though!

While the dressing was resting and the quinoa was cooking, I got my veggies ready - I used a mix of all raw veggies with a Mediterranean leaning.

That is one pickling cucumber (I only used half), three scallions, 1 sweet red Italian pepper (½ bell pepper would be about the same amount), yellow cherry tomatoes, and flat-leaf parsley. I also used 1 tablespoon each chopped olives and capers, and they added a fabulous saltiness to the dish.

I wanted everything pretty small, so I chopped the parsley, capers, and olives finely, quartered the tomatoes, sliced the scallions, and chopped the pepper and cucumber into small bite-sized pieces. You could mix up the sizes and veggies and herbs any way you like!

Once the quinoa is done cooking, let it cool for at least 5 minutes with the lid off so it doesn't cook the veggies - this is a nice salad to serve a little warm, though!

Once the quinoa has cooled, add the veggies and ⅔ of the dressing and a generous sprinkle of salt to the quinoa.

Stir everything together and taste for salt - if you need more flavor add the rest of the dressing! I used all mine and it was fabulous.

I topped this with some cracked black pepper and parmesan shavings - it was delicious! This could very easily be a vegetarian meal on it's own, or you could pair it with some crispy chicken or fish with pesto.

Buy some of this great ingredient today - it's easy to work with, healthy, and delicious. Let me know what your favorite way to eat it is!