6

Oct
2011

Quinoa Veggie Salad

Another recipe successfully cooking quinoa!

I had been trying to think of something different to bring to work. I was so tired of bringing salads, and your standard cold foods (we can not microwave foods at work–so I eat a lot of cold things). So, I came up with a quinoa recipe that includes a lot of vegetables because I try to get in veggies before it is dinner time!

You can make this recipe hot or cold. I ate it hot the first time I made it. Then, I brought it cold to work, and added a little extra dressing to make it more like a salad.

Quinoa Vegetable Salad
I made this in more of a bulk amount so it would last more days during the week. Makes about 10 or more servings.

1. Use 1.5 cups water for every 1 cup quinoa. I used about 2 cups of quinoa and 5 cups liquid. I used half chicken stock as the liquid to add more flavor. **Make sure to rinse the dry quinoa thoroughly in a colander before cooking.
2. Cook quinoa like you cook rice: covered and simmering for about 15 minutes until most all liquid absorbed.
3. In a large saute pan, saute 1 chopped onion, and 1 pint sliced mushrooms with 1 Tbsp. olive oil.
4. Separately, steam 1 very large or 2 medium heads of broccoli (after it has been cut from the stems of course).
5. Add 1 large sliced orange pepper, 2 large sliced zucchinis, 3 small summer squash (sliced), and 1 can of sliced baby corn to the saute pan. You may add an extra Tbsp. of oil if needed. Additionally, I added a few sun dried tomatoes and handful of pine nuts since I happened to have them in the fridge.
6. Season the vegetable mixture with Mrs. Dash tomato basil seasoning, fresh garlic, basil or parsley, and salt and pepper.
7. When finished, combine the veggies with the quinoa, and add about 1/4-1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, and 1 Tbsp. of olive oil. Taste test for flavor.

That’s about it! This dish is a little more steps and ingredients, but that is why I made it much larger so it would last for a few meals. I brought about 2 cups to work, and eat it cold. I add a very small amount of Italian dressing when I eat it cold. Mr. Cyclist likes to eat it hot and add a chicken sausage.