creativeQuinoa has been available at health food stores and Whole Foods for a long time, but now Costco has started carrying it. It's an excellent (and healthier!) alternative to rice and cooks very similarly. If you have a rice cooker, you can make quinoa in it. When cooked, it has an unusual little curl to it.
I made way too much quinoa the other day so I put the leftovers in the fridge. Tonight I decided to try making a salad with some of the leftovers.
2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled
2 cups frozen mixed carrots, corn and green beans, cooked and cooled
1/2 cup broccoli, steamed and cooled
1 can diced tomatoes, drained or 2 fresh tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup cashews, coarsely chopped
couple handfuls of toasted sesame seeds
Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tblsp lemon juice
large pinch salt
fresh ground pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
dash of grated ginger
Mix the quinoa, veggies and nuts together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Combine dressing with salad and toss.
