A Gift to You

For a year we lived in the same complex as our friend Jonathan. He's a professional chef who cooks privately for celebrities. He had us over for dinner a few times and it was always such a treat. Once he served the dish below. I loved it, especially when he told me I could eat it all day long. I thought I would share the recipe.

1 c quinoa* (found next to other grains at the grocers)
8 oz. sheep feta
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
large handful quality olive of choice
small handful parsley, chopped
even smaller handful of mint, chopped
lemons
olive oil
salt and pepper

Put the quinoa in a fine strainer and rinse very well with running water to remove the saponin (a clear, natural, bitter coating on the seeds). In a dry saucepan toast the quinoa until it smells nutty. Quickly pour in 2 cups water, while stirring, (stand back a little as it will spurt) and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to very low and steam for 15 minutes. (Alternatively, you ca skip the toasting part and just combine the quinoa with the water and bring to a simmer.) Turn off the heat and allow to rest for another 5 minutes. Turn the quinoa out into a large mixing blow, toss it with some good olive oil and allow to cool.

Prep you veggies while your quinoa is cooking and cooling. When it has cooled to a temperature that won't melt the feta, fold all the veggies, herbs, and cheese into the grain and mix well. Add lemon juice to taste and mix again. Check for salt and pepper, and add more olive oil if necessary.

Enjoy!

* Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%), making it a healthy choice for vegetarians and vegans. Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source.[4] It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. - taken from Wikipedia.