keen on quinoa

Do you ever eat quinoa?  Do you know what quiona is?  If not, let wikipedia me enlighten you:

Quinoa (keen-wah) is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds.  It is a "pseudocereal" rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family.  Quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds.  It's light with a fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it a delicious choice.  Also, quinoa is super good for you.  It's a super food, yo.  Eat it, enjoy it.

"Inca Power Fuel" hahahahaha

But how do you eat it?  In a salad, silly.  At least that's how I eat it, anyway.  I make a big salad and take it for my lunch all week.  It's fresh, summer-y, and de-licious!

C'mon, folks, hop onto the quinoa bandwagon with me!

QUINOA SALAD
(inspired by Epicurious' Orzo Salad recipe)

1 cup quinoa (I've used both regular and red quinoa - not much difference and both taste great)
1 small container of grape tomatoes
1 long English cucumber
green onion (you'll need about a 1/2 cup)
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing:
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup (maybe less) olive oil

Cook quinoa according to package directions.  Let cool.  While quinoa is cooking and cooling, chop the cucumber and green onion, and halve the tomatoes.  Put all the chopped veggies together in a bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients.  Set aside.

Once the quinoa is cool, add it to your veggies and mix 'em up real good.  Add the feta.  Mix, mix, mix.  Pour dressing over top and mix, mix, mix some more.  I  usually have some dressing left over as I always seem to make too much and I'm not huge into drowning things in dressings.  Add as much or as little as you like - no judgement here.

You're done!  Store in the fridge.  It will last all week; actually, it gets better the next day once the flavours have had time to mingle.

all packed up, ready to grab and go

PS:  I never measure the dressing ingredients, I just add stuff a little at a time until I'm happy with the taste, the amounts above are just guesses.

PPS:  IT'S GAME DAY, CANUCKS FANS!!!!!!!!!!! Wooo hooo!  Go Canucks Go!