Curried Vegetable Quinoa

This recipe is my take on another Lucia’s salad.  

This is my favorite season.  My CSA box overflows.  I buy so much stuff at the farmer’s market, I sometimes have to sling a bag of goodies over the handlebar on my bike!  I love the tempuratures in the midwest in fall,  nice days and cooler nights.  I try not to think about the next season that will come too soon and stay too long.  However, I am soooo ready for some football!  I think my Packers are looking really good this year.

I had to cook some quinoa for the apple bread recipe, also posted, so I decided to make some extra to make some of this yummy, super easy salad.  It keeps pretty well in the frig. and makes a pretty portable lunch.  

Of course, you can use whatever veggies you’d like.  I used what I had in the house.  I biked to the co op. today to get eggs and treated myself to a can of coconut water.  Gasoline is very spendy right now and I’ve been on a mission to not drive and honor big oil any more than I have to.

I always keep quinoa in the house.  It’s a super food, high in protien and other nutrients.  It doesn’t have much flavor, so it picks up whatever you add to it.  It’s a grain that has been popular in Asia for a long time, but seems pretty new in the US.  It’s relatively new to me!  BTW, it’s gluten free!  I’ve been reading about gluten free and dairy free diets.  It seems that we, humans, were not really built to process milk or gluten.  

To cook quinoa:

• 3 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
• 1/2 tsp. salt (optional)

Boil the ingredients.  Cover the pan and reduce heat.  Keep an eye on it.  In 10-15 minutes, most of the liquid is absopbed, so I turn off the heat and keep the pan covered.  

That’s it!  Super simple.

Curried Vegatable Quinoa

• 3 cups cooked quinoa.
• 1/2 cup olive oil (the best quality that you can afford/justify).
• 2 tbsp. Curry (I used Penzey’s).
• 1 tbsp. Sel et Herbes de la France (posted here).
• 1 raw (or sauteed) zucchini - cut down the middle and sliced.
• 2 raw carrots, sliced..
• 2 cups cooked swiss chard, chopped before cooking.
• 1 cup cooked, fresh corn.
• 1/4 cup currents, rehydrated.  (Put them in a bowl and cover with boiling water.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes.  Drain.)
• Fresh parsely, or other fresh herbs, chopped.

Process:  

• Mix the quinoa, oil, curry and herbs.  Taste.  It should be really well seasoned before adding the veggies.    
• Add the sliced veggies. 
• Mix.
• Taste.  Add more seasoning, if necessary.  

You can add a little bitt of feta cheese, some currants, and or slivered almonds and serve with a small side salad, or a yummy slice of bread.  The little bit of spice seems to be perfect in fall.  I hope that you enjoy this.