Recipe: Quinoa Salad

 

Photo: Quinoa (Keen-wah) Salad by Gail K. Kachnycz

     This month's recipe is my go-to for gatherings with family or at work. It can be made ahead and saved in the fridge, is gluten free and vegan. There is no mayonnaise to spoil in hot weather. The original recipe was given to me by Mike's niece on the back of an envelope, and had instructions for using 4 cobs of corn and making vinaigrette from scratch using roasted tomatoes. I tweaked this to make a quick version with tomato paste, so if you need to be particularly cautious about gluten or salt, check the ingredient list on the can. I like cilantro, but some people think it tastes like dish soap (a genetic difference!), so when I make this for a gathering I bring the cilantro in a separate container for folks to garnish if they wish. This recipe does have a Mexican flavor palate, so if there are left-overs (IF!) I just make a batch of chili and toss in the remaining portion. Enjoy!

QUINOA SALAD, QUICK AND EASY VERSION (Gail Kachnycz)

Gluten free, vegan, easy to make ahead, great to eat with tortilla chips.

If you have left-overs, can mix into chili and cook!

Original version used grilled cherry tomatoes for vinaigrette, and 4 cobs of corn 

Ingredients:

Quinoa:

 ½ cup uncooked, boil in ¾ cups water according to package to equal 2 cups cooked

Corn: 2 ½ cups frozen or 1 can (15 oz) kernels sweet corn

Black beans: 2 cans (15 oz each)

Tomatoes: 20 ounces cherry or grape size

Sweet Pepper: 1 red or orange

Green onions: 4 onions sliced/ chopped

Cilantro leaves: ½ cup chopped (serve as a separate garnish if at a gathering) 

Vinaigrette: see ingredients below

For Vinaigrette dressing, whisk together until smooth:

1 tablespoon tomato paste, thin down with a little hot water until it is sauce consistency

½ cup lime juice

2/3 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt 

Prepare:

Cook the quinoa and steam the corn if using frozen corn.

While the quinoa & corn are cooking & cooling, drain and rinse the beans

Chop up the tomatoes, pepper, onions, and cilantro

Mix everything together in a large bowl (reserve cilantro if serving at a gathering)

Mix the vinaigrette into the salad (see the ingredients & instructions above).

Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Stir before serving.