Peppered Quinoa Salad

Number of Servings: 4

Salad Ingredients:

½ cup (125 mL) quinoa, uncooked

3 or 4 peppers – a mixture of red, green, yellow, and/or orange
1 serrano or poblano pepper
1-2 tablespoons (15-30 mL) of finely chopped jalapeño peppers (or pickled0
¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped red or green onion
2 tablespoons (30 mL) chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley

Vinaigrette:

1 ½ tablespoons (25 mL) white wine vinegar
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon (5 mL) coarse-grained Dijon mustard
¼ cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher or sea salt; freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Cook quinoa is a large volume of boiling salted water for 12-15 minutes, or until tender.
2. Drain, give a quick rinse in cold water. Press down gently on the quinoa as it drains so as to extract as much water as possible (reduces the possibility of sogginess). Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add a tablespoon of oil to keep it from sticking together.
3. When quinoa is cool, add the remaining salad ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
4. Make vinaigrette by combining the vinegar, garlic, and mustard. Slowly drizzle in the oil until vinaigrette starts to come together. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add vinaigrette to quinoa mixture. Combine thoroughly and chill for 1 hour prior to serving.

Questions and comments are always welcome      alex@chilipeppersandpears.com ^[1]