Quinoa Salad

Quinoa Salad With Asian Vinaigrette

It seems quinoa has become the new super food.  I normally don't care for super foods, but quinoa tastes good, and it's easy enough to find in the grain section of your local supermarket.  This salad is unique and it's good served warm but we like it best cold.  Use the Asian vinaigrette sparingly as it can overpower the salad.  If you don't feel like making the dressing, any light dressing like red wine vinegar, Italian, etc. will work.  Just don't use something heavy like thousand island or ranch.  Lastly, you can add any protein you want to this salad like diced ham, left over chicken, etc.  Grilled shrimp are especially good in this dish.
Salad
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup napa cabbage, diced
½ to ¾ cup grape tomatoes, whole
3 carrots, peeled and grated with the large holes of a kitchen grater
1 cup frozen corn kernels
5 green onions, sliced, both the green & white parts
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 avocado, peeled and diced


Asian Vinaigrette
3 oz (6 tbl) rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic press
1 tbl sesame oil
1 tbl sugar

Put the quinoa in a small pot with 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed.  While the quinoa is cooking, make the vinaigrette.  Put the vinegar, garlic cloves, sesame oil, and sugar together in a small non-reactive bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved. When the quinoa is finished cooking take the lid off and set it off the burner to cool until it is just a few degrees warmer than room temp.  While the quinoa is cooling, put the cabbage, carrots, corn, green onions, and ginger in a large bowl and mix well.  Add the Quinoa to the rest of the salad ingredients now.  The warm quinoa thaws the frozen corn and the corn cools the quinoa.   You can cover the salad and put it in the fridge until later to serve or eat it now.  Just before serving add the avocado and drizzle the dressing over it.

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