Quinoa Salad with Tomato, Cucumber and Feta

Since I returned from Israel, I have been craving the tomato and cucumber salad I ate nearly every day. I decided to make the salad a little heartier by adding quinoa.

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) has its history rooted in South America. While we often consume quinoa in a way similar to grains (i.e. oats, barley, etc.), quinoa is not a grain. Quinoa is actually from the same family as beets, spinach and Swiss chard. The portion of the plant that we are eating when we eat quinoa is the seed, although the stems and leaves are edible as well. And in comparison to grains, quinoa is a good source of protein and calcium, while having a low fat content!

Quinoa salad with tomato, cucumber and feta

(Yields 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 3 tsp. parsley, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 medium cucumber, cubed
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat feta, crumbled
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Rinse quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer (Why? To remove quinoa's natural coating, saponin, which can make the quinoa taste slightly bitter)
2. In a small pot, bring water to boil. Add quinoa, cover the pot, and reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes
3. Keeping quinoa covered, remove pot from heat and let stand for 5 minutes
4. Remove the lid and gently fluff quinoa with a fork, set aside
5. In a small bowl, mix lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Whisk vigorously until mixture is emulsified
6. Combine cooled quinoa, parsley, tomatoes, cucumber in a medium bowl
7. Pour lemon mixture into bowl and add feta. Toss gently to combine

Enjoy and thanks for reading!