The Perfect Side Dish: Easy Quinoa Salad Recipe

The first time I had quinoa was when I had my friend and her husband over to barbeque about 2 years ago. I asked my friend to bring a side dish, and in she walks with this weird looking mushy salad with feta cheese and tomatoes. I had to keep asking her to repeat the name: Keen-wa. How weird, right? I had never heard of such a thing!

I’m an (I’d like to think) adventurous eater, so I decided to give the weird salad with the weird name a try.

Holy cow. I LOVED it! I seriously ate almost the entire bowl!

This is where my love affair with quinoa began.

Now we eat quinoa at least three times a month, minumum. It’s so healthy for you and honestly, so fun as a new cook, to mess around with! This recipe has a super basic dressing that I use ALL THE TIME. It gives the quinoa a really tangy zip that I love. Then I add whatever I have on hand in my fridge or cupboard.

For the picture above, I added cherry tomatoes, leftover cooked corn on the cob, and a can of drained and rinsed black beans. But I’ve made all sorts of variations with this quinoa and dressing recipe so BE CREATIVE! And let me know what you think! What quinoa combos do you like??

EASY QUINOA SALAD RECIPE:
Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry quinoa (white or red)
• 1 can chicken or vegetable broth

Dressing:

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil (minced)
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2-3 green onions, finely chopped
• 1-2 Tbsp. italian parsley, chopped (optional)

Add In:

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• kernels cut from 2 cooked corn on the cob (or 1 cup canned corn)
• Anything else you like! Use up those leftover vegetables in the crisper!

Directions:
1.  Check your quinoa package directions to see if your quinoa needs to be rinsed prior to using. I’ve bought kinds that have been pre-washed and others that haven’t.

2.  Pour quinoa into medium sized pot and pour in broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all broth is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes. When done, the grain is soft and all the broth is absorbed.

3.  Mix together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the quinoa into a serving bowl and stir in the dressing.

4.  Now throw in the add-ins or anything else you think sounds good. So fun to play around with this salad!ENJOY!!

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