Quinoa Salad

Orange, red onion, and olive oil is one of my favorite flavor combos, because it just screams of summer to me. So that's the direction I chose to go in for this quinoa salad, probably because I am sick of winter. (Hey, if I can't have summer weather, I'll settle for summery foods.)

If you aren't familiar with quinoa, it's a delightful little grain (one of the few "complete foods" on our planet) and very versatile. You can use it hot, much the way you would rice, or cold in a salad, as I have here. Whatever you do use it in, be sure to rinse it very well before cooking. The grain has a bitter coating that you don't want in your dish, but a good rinse in cold water takes care of that.

One more quick note: When you section the orange, do it over the bowl you're using so it will catch all the juice that's going to drip out, then squeeze the juice from the membrane into the bowl as well. This adds a significant amount of flavor and liquid to the dressing. Here's the recipe:

Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
2 cups water
1 cup fresh string beans (cut into bite sized pieces and steamed but still very crisp)
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 shallot, sliced very thinly (or half a red onion)
1 orange, segmented (don't forget to zest it before you cut it!)
1/4 cup golden raisins
zest and juice of half a lemon
zest of half an orange
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

• In a dry hot pan toast the quinoa until dry, golden and slightly puffed. Remove from pan.
• Bring water and a pinch of salt to a boil, add quinoa, cover, reduce to a simmer for 20-25 minutes (until water is all absorbed). Fluff with a fork and and remove from pan. Allow to cool. (This could all be done the night before if you like.)
• When cool, combine quinoa and all remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and coarsely ground pepper.
  
• Enjoy!