Serves: 4
Total Calories: 225

3 cups water
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 cups coarsely chopped red or yellow tomatoes
2 cups quartered cucumbers
1 cup coarsely chopped parsley
1/2 cup coarsely chopped mint leaves
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/2 cup chopped chives
1/3 cup lemon juice
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup nasturtium, borage, calendula, or bee balm flower petals (optional)

1. Bring the water to boil in a 2-quart pot.

2. Place the quinoa in an unoiled skillet over medium-low heat. Stirring constantly, dry-roast the quinoa about 3 minutes, or until it pops and smells like sesame seeds. Turn off the heat.

3. Add the boiling water and salt to the quinoa. Turn the heat back to medium-low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.

4. Transfer the quinoa to a large mixing bowl and cool to room temperature. Stir often to hasten cooling.

5. Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, mint, olives, chives, lemon juice, and oil to the quinoa, and mix well. Adjust the seasonings, if desired.

6. Garnish with fresh flowers, if desired, and serve.

For a Change . . .
• If you’re out of mint, try cooking the quinoa in mint tea. When the water comes to a boil, add 2 mint tea bags, turn off the heat, and let steep at least 10 minutes. Bring the tea to a boil before adding to the dry-roasted quinoa.
• Instead of parsley, use lettuce, baby red kale, mizuna, tat soi, or other leafy salad green.
• Substitute spelt cous, spelt bulgur, couscous, or bulgur wheat for the quinoa. If using spelt cous or spelt bulgur, use only 2 1/4 cups water.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 4
Total Calories: 225
Calories from Fat: 150

More Recipes from the Going Wild in the Kitchen Cookbook:
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White Bean Salad with Fresh Fennel and Capers
Japanese Sea Vegetable and Noodle Salad
Quinoa Tabouli
Crisp Cababge Salad with Watercress and Caraway Seeds
More Creative Salad Ideas
Marinated Sun-Dried Tomatoes with Calendula Flowers
Feta Cheese Salad with Kamut Pasta
Marinated Red Peppers with Lemon and Garlic
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Curried Vegetable Knishes with Chickpeas
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Ginger Tempeh Sushi