Greek Quinoa Salad

"Kwin-noah?"  - Me

I think I may officially be the last person to join in the craze, and so all I have to say is, "Is this bandwagon headed to the quinoa store please?"  Whole grain, healthy, gluten free, and it has been named one of the most complete foods in existence...no big deal!

And, did you know that this supergrain is actually not a grain at all, but a seed that is part of the spinach family?  I know that because I looked it up.

It's light, it's fluffy, it's fun (ok, maybe I'm pushing it?!), and it's my new favourite thing to cook with.  Keen-wah.

I threw this Greek Quinoa Salad together for dinner for The Hubby and me last week, and served it alongside a sundried tomato and basil marinated chicken breast.  The salad kept in the fridge for 4-5 days, and was awesome for lunches at work last week.  My hatred of leftovers is passionate, but this salad actually seemed to improve as the days passed.



The only thing is that you do have to feel a little bit bad for couscous ever since quinoa came to town and took over its scene.  But I digress...

I think it may be time for me to invest in the 5-pound Costco bag of this stuff!

What is your favourite quinoa recipe?

Greek Quinoa Salad

Ingredients
3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 large tomato or 2-3 small tomatoes, diced
1/2 large long English cucumber, quartered and diced
1 small bunch green onions, sliced (or 1/4 of a red onion, diced)
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, sliced
1/2 cup light feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup lemon juice
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Pour chicken stock into a medium pot, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Stir in quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. Cook on medium-low until the liquid is absorbed completely, about 15 minutes, then chill.  Once cool, add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.  Enjoy!

The Hubby's Review:  I could eat this every day.

Recipe Source:  My own brain!