Quinoa Vegetable Salad

I came up with this dish after being inspired by a friend I saw making quinoa with fresh veggies and basil. In the past I’ve made rice salads with veggies but never quinoa. It was time to experiment!

This was very easy to make as a last-minute meal, and great for leftovers. It’s good hot or cold and can easily be reheated in a pan with a scrambled egg for another nutritious meal.

**Note: anything can be added to this—I just used things I had in my fridge that went well together.

Cook the quinoa for 15 minutes

Prep the veggies while the quinoa is cooking

Ingredients:

1 c quinoa

1/4 t salt.

3 medium tomatoes

½ red bell pepper

1 carrot, peeled & sliced

1 clove of garlic, minced

fresh herbs (I used basil, but anything will work), finely chopped

2 T olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Rinse quinoa. In a medium pot measure out 2 c water and add quinoa and salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, slightly covered. Stir occasionally.

While the quinoa is cooking prepare the vegetables. When it is done, toss it in a bowl and add the vegetables, garlic, basil, and drizzle with olive oil. Toss together and season with salt & pepper to taste.