A cool meal of quinoa for this humid weather. Quinoa is also cool because it might be one of the first crops NASA will use for their Controlled Ecological Life Support System someday. Why? Because it's considered a complete food. It's a seed that's related to leafy greens, like swiss chard containing a balanced set of essential amino acids, is a good source of dietary fiber, and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. But I like it mostly because it's dang tasty.
Recipe:
1 1/3 cups quinoa*
Vinegrette:
Zest from 1 lemon, plus the juice
1 tbs red wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 cup green grapes, halved
1/3 cup of dried cranberries
2 cups cucumbers
2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup chopped mint
2 scallions
* Rinse quinoa under cold running water and drain. Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Stir quinoa and a pinch of salt into water. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until quinoa is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Uncover and let cool.
For the vinaigrette, whisk vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking well. Add the quinoa and toss with two forks to combine.
Add chicken (skip the chicken if you're vegetarian), grapes, cranberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, mint and scallions. Toss well, taste and adjust seasoning, adding more lemon juice if desired. Serve cold.
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