Warm quinoa salad

Trying to fully recover from this flu I’ve had for over two weeks now, I am putting a bit more effort in to preparing meals that are packed full of vitamins and antioxidants to help my body fight off the bad guys.

This quinoa salad I made for lunch was super easy, delicious, and full of goodness. I love quinoa – you cook and eat it as a grain, but it has a very high protein content (unlike wheat or rice) and is also gluten-free (for those of you who are intolerant).

Any suggestions on new and inventive ways to include quinoa in my diet ?

Ingredients (makes 2-4 lunch-sized portions)

1. 1 cup quinoa – rinsed if not already pre-rinsed to remove the bitter outer coating
2. 2 cups boiling water
3. 2 cups of any vegetables you have in your fridge, diced: this time for me I had capsicum, cucumber, tomatoes, broccoli, red onions and mushrooms
4. juice of 1 lemon (or to taste)
5. extra-virgin olive oil
6. salt and pepper
7. optional – add nuts for more super goodness – toast some raw almonds or pinenuts
8. another option – crumble tangy salty feta cheese on top

Method

1. Add the quinoa to the boiling water and cook for 15 minutes. The cooked grain should have a tiny curl that has separated from the seed, and have a nice bite to it (like al dente pasta)
2. Transfer to a large salad bowl and fluff with a fork (as you would with couscous)
3. Add the vegetables and mix
4. Dress with the lemon juice, a good glug of the olive oil and salt and pepper