Spring Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is really making a name for itself nowadays. A delicious and hearty substitute to rice or pasta, quinoa can add nutrients to a dish that otherwise would not be present with other products. This version of a cold salad can be mixed and matched in so many ways, but we think this spin off is the best!

You will Need :

• 1 cup of Quinoa
• 2 cups of vegetable broth or water
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1/4 cup of crumbled feta ( add or subtract to taste)
• 1 medium cucumber
• 2 Roma tomatoes
• 1/4 of a red onion ( add or subtract to taste)
• Handful of fresh basil
• clove of fresh garlic
• salt
• pepper
• 1/4 cup of lite greek dressing ( add or subtract to taste)

Preparation :

Making the Quinoa :

1. Rinse quinoa really well, remove any discolored seeds
2. Heat medium pot on medium-low and dump quinoa in. Stir for about 2 minutes and let the seeds toast.
3. Pour in broth or water and bring to a boil.
4. Turn heat down so just simmering and place lid over top. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the seed opens and a small white tail will appear. The water should be just about cooked out, take off the heat and let sit aside. ( Note: If the quinoa is cooked too long on heat it will become gummy and mushy and could potentially burn. Be gentle in cooking, letting off the heat in the last cooking minutes will allow it to slowly cook, keep its shape and become fluffy.)

Prepping :

1. Wash all your produce really well and give it a good pat dry.
2. Cut the cucumber in small chunks, or chop thin.
3. Remove seeds from tomatoes and cut into small chunks.
4. Thinly slice your red onion. (you don’t want any bites with big chunks of onion, the thinner the better.)
5. Finely chop garlic
6. Chiffonade basil
7. Rinse chickpeas really well and pat dry.
8. Put all of these ingredients into one bowl.

Bringing it all together :

1. Add your quinoa little by little to the bowl until you achieve your desired ratio. Some like more quinoa, some like the veggies to be more of the star. Its up to you!
2. Once this is all incorporated it’s time to add your feta, again crumble a little at a time in until you reach what is best for your dish.
3. Add in your dressing before finishing with salt & pepper. Feta and dressings are already quite salty, and it may not need much seasoning, if any at all.
4. Eat and enjoy right away, or let chill in the fridge before the party starts!

This recipe is perfect alone, as a side dish or a scoop on top of salad greens! If you don’t like feta, try goat’s cheese, or mozzarella. And of course, no cheese is needed at all for this to be light and flavor packed.