Picnic

quinoa salad-easy takes 20 minutes to prepare.

quinoa salad-easy takes 25 minutes to cook.

quinoa salad-easy makes 12 servings.

The ingredients for quinoa salad-easy are:

mix first in a bowl, and let it macerate while the quinoa cooks:

0.5 raw red onion, diced
1/4 cup (or less) Cider Vinegar...or whatever vinegar you like
1/4 tsp sea salt...or to taste
red pepper flakes...you decide how much
if you want oil, add about 1/4 cup (not counted in nutritional info, because the olives add enough fat)

2 cups of dry red quinoa, COOKED to make 6 cups

2 (10 oz packages...or about 6 cups?) Mixed Vegetables, frozen
1 can olives, Lindsay Naturals Black Ripe (or green,) drained
1.5 cup diced fresh tomato
1 cup Artichoke hearts in water, drained and roughly chopped
1/2 cup or MORE (big handful) fresh mint or cilantro other fresh herbs...or USE WHAT YOU LIKE. ;-)

Here is how you make quinoa salad-easy:

makes 12 one-cup servings, or one huge salad bowl to serve 6-8 hungry people.cook the quinoa (2 cups dry red) as you normally do. I soak and rinse mine b4 cooking. I drain, put in a medium pot with an equal part of water. I let it come to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer, like rice. It cooks in about 15-20 minutes. It is done when it has absorbed the liquid and is soft, but not mushy.put diced onion, salt, pepper, vinegar, and oil in a really LARGE bowl. this is like your dressing. let it sit while the quinoa cooks.Meanwhile, chop your herbs, drain and crush the olives, chop the artichoke hearts, and tomatoes, etc., and set aside. add the HOT quinoa to the LARGE bowl, then put the FROZEN veggies on top.Stir gently...the heat from the quinoa will thaw the veggies. If your quinoa is already cold, then just thaw the veggies first.taste it. fix it.add the fresh mint, or parsley or whatever. i like to add about 12 fresh green sorrel leaves, chopped, if i have it. if you have time, go ahead an add some fresh veggies as well...like red bell peppers, celery, whatever...it won't change the fat and will barely add any calories.Chill to let the flavors combine.Taste and decide if you need to add vinegar, salt, pepper, or other spices. I tend to add my dried herbs and spices at the beginning, but i don't measure...sorry. Fresh herbs must be added AFTER the quinoa has cooled a bit (which will happen right away if your veggies are frozen,) or they will turn brown.This doesn't need olive oil, because of the olives, but you may want to add some for extra flavor.Serve with fresh salad greens. Have some cheese on the side for non-vegans or those who don't care about fat and calories.

The nutritional information for quinoa salad-easy is:

• Servings Per Recipe: 12
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 178.5

• Total Fat: 4.7 g
• Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
• Sodium: 189.9 mg
• Total Carbs: 29.0 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5.4 g
• Protein: 6.2 g

The dietary needs meet for quinoa salad-easy is Vegan