Recipe: Quinoa Salad with Mediterranean Dressing

I’ve been totally into quinoa ever since I first learned how to cook with it back in 2012 when I went to a cooking class in Philadelphia with P&G.  That was also the first night I actually learned how to pronounce quinoa – do you know how?  It’s KEEN-WAH.  In case you were wondering.  I know was and I was definitely mangling the pronunciation before I heard the chef tell us how it’s supposed to be spoken. 😉

So I’ve tried to make quinoa a few times at home ever since that day in Philly and never seem to be as successful as I was that night.  I often buy it pre-made at the grocery store in the prepared foods section though because I love it so much and I’m still always on the hunt for a good recipe to try again at home.  Which is why I am excited about this recipe to share from you from a friend who clearly makes a better quinoa than I do.  Cuz this looks amazing, right?  I can’t wait to try this because I don’t think it looks too hard.  I’m hoping I can get it right.

Here is the recipe:

Quinoa Salad with Mediterranean Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Quinoa
• 2 Cups Water
• 1 Large Cucumber
• 1 1/4 C sliced Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
• 1 – 2 Tbsp Finely Chopped Green Onions
• 2 – 3 Tbsp Finely Chopped Fresh Mint**
• 2 – 3 Tbsp Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley**
• 1 Lemon
• 1/4 C Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 tsp White Sugar

**The Mint & Parsley must be fresh, not dried**

Instructions

1. Rinse quinoa in a sieve.

1. In a medium saucepan, combine your 1 cup of rinsed quinoa with the 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Once you reach a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes.

1. While your quinoa is cooking, slice your cucumbers and tomatoes into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

1. To make your dressing, finely chop your green onion, mint, and parsley. (There is a little lee-way in the recipe for these so you can incorporate your own personal taste for the herbs. However, I put in 1.5 Tbsp green onion and 2.5 Tbsp each of the mint and parsley.)
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine your chopped herbs with the juice of one lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper, and sugar. Mix until well combined.
3. When Quinoa is done, find a nice serving dish and mix in the veggies and dressing.
4. Don’t forget to top with lemon zest.
5. This dish is delicious warm, room temperature, or cold.