Dear quinoa,
I know I have avoided you in the past. I have no tolerance for high maintenance food and your required pre-rinse was enough to keep me away. I have two strainers but none were fine enough for your tiny grains.
However, thanks to a surprise package from my mom, I am now the proud owner of a mesh strainer. With the weather struggling to fully defrost, I satisfied my springtime cravings with a lemony quinoa salad (can be eaten warm or cold). Can’t wait to crack this baby open at work for lunch tomorrow!
Enjoy! This recipe made about 4 large servings.
Ingredients:
1 cup of quinoa (dry), cooked according to instructions on bag or box
1 shallot, diced
2-3 cups of raw spinach leaves (I used about 1/2 of a bag)
1/4 cup of corn kernels
3 cups of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of fresh basil (chopped) or 2 cubes of frozen basil
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
Directions:
Cook quinoa according to directions (make sure to rinse in advance). Check out my new strainer!
Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and basil in a cup or bowl and stir until fully incorporated.
Use a 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil mixture and heat over a saute pan. Add in the shallots and corn and saute for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Continue to stir and slowly add in the spinach, adding more as it wilts and creates space in the pan.
When all of the spinach has wilted and become soft and stringy, remove the pan from heat.
Pour the cooked quinoa into a large mixing bowl and add the corn, spinach and shallot mixture, the sliced cherry tomatoes, the feta cheese, and the remainder of the dressing.
Stir thoroughly and add salt, pepper, and pepper flakes to taste. Stir again and serve warm or cold!
