Curried Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa (can be found with grains/nuts in most bulk food sections)
• 2.5 cups of water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 cup of minced fresh herbs - add one or all of fresh parsley, cilantro, basil and mint.
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup frozen baby sweetlet peas (or use fresh peas if you are lucky enough to have some handy!)

Preparation:

First, soak the quinoa in cold, salted water for about 15 mins. Rinse and put in a medium pot with lid, pour 2.5 cups of cold water on top, add a little salt, bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cook covered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand for 5 min., fluff with a fork and put in a salad bowl to cool. After cooled off, add all remaining ingredients- oil, lemon juice, vinegar, herbs, peas, curry- salt and pepper lightly to taste. Chill and serve.

Story:

A beautiful side dish, or enjoy a big bowl on its own for a light and nutritious lunch. Quinoa is gluten free, low in fat, 6 grams of protein per serving, and has a nice variety of vitamins and minerals. The variety or herbs and spices make this savoury and refreshing. I love to bring this along on picnics.

Submitted by: Candace Keen