There's a great health food store in Fairfield called Mrs. Green's. Nice selection of gluten/casein/corn free products. A trip there isn't complete though without grabbing a take-out of my new favorite "earthy crunchy healthy" dish. It's not rabbit food. This stuff is too yummy for rabbits. Thanks to the Mrs. Green's website (www.mrsgreens.com) I can now make this in the comfort of my own home. They've got a great collection of recipes. The fun part is I get to try a lot of them via the store's salad bar first. Then if I absolutely can not live without it I pull up the recipe and whaalaa. This is a very light side dish/snack. If you're looking to try something for a bbq other than the usual coleslaw, macaroni salad and potato salad then give it a shot. It's very easy to whip together (do allow for it to sit overnight or a few hours at the very least in the fridge for the flavors to blend). One thing... the use of fresh herbs is mandatory for this dish (Container herb gardening, anyone? If not, you should!). So, let it be the showcase for those little green things in your garden.
1 cup Quinoa (I got mine from Trader Joe's but any health food store should carry it)
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp chicken or vegetable bullion
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup scallions, finely sliced
2 medium plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped fine
2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine
Rinse Quinoa (pronounced keen-WAH) in a fine mesh sieve. Bring water and bullion to boil in a medium sauce pan. Stir in quinoa. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with fork and allow to cool completely.
Combine remaining ingredients, tossing to blend. Cover, chill several hours or overnight.
