Rainbow Quinoa

1 1/2 cups quinoa - rinsed*

2 3/4 cups water 

1 tsp salt

1 tsp olive oil 

1 carrot, diced

1/2 yellow pepper, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced 

1 small onion, diced - soak in water for 10 minutes to mellow the sharp flavor 

3 Tbs chopped fresh parsley 

1 Tbs chopped fresh dill 

3 Tbs olive oil 

Zest and juice of half a lemon - if you don’t have a fresh lemon don’t worry about the zest 

1/2 tsp salt

1 small clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp pepper 

1/4 tsp cumin 

Place the rinsed quinoa, water, salt, and olive oil into a medium pot. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat, cover the pot and let the quinoa cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the quinoa sit in the covered pot for 5. Transfer to a bowl and let the quinoa cool. 

Once the quinoa is cool add the remaining ingredients. Give it a stir, check for seasoning, and enjoy! This lasts all week in the fridge if you don’t finish it all in one sitting. 

Feel free to add in diced cucumber as well - when I make a big batch to have on hand all week I don’t add the cucumber because it doesn’t stay fresh and crisp in the salad all week. 

To add more protein to this salad feel free to add 1 cup of canned chickpeas. 

The salad is delicious as is or topped with plenty of techina and crumbled feta. 

If you're not a quinoa fan this recipe also works great with bulgur - just cook according to package directions and follow the rest of the steps. 

Yield: 6-8 portions