Curried Quinoa Salad

I have been on another quinoa kick lately.  It's so versatile!  You can use it in place of rice, pasta, even use it to thicken up a homemade veggie burger or meatball.  Since the weather has been nice, I've come up with this recipe.  I've made it with some variations but this is my favorite so far.

Curried Quinoa Salad from ToBeContinued

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1.5 cups water or veggie stock (I prefer the stock)
1/2 cup cashews, crushed
1/2 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro
1/2 cup shredded carrots
2-3 chopped green onions (bulb and greens)
1/2 cup dried cherries (or other dried fruit of your choice)
salt
pepper
curry powder
1 T olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
zest of one lemon

• Bring quinoa and stock to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Chop other ingredients while its cooking. 

• Whisk together the zest of one lemon with 1 Tablespoon olive oil, the juice of 1/2 the lemon, s&p, and 1 teaspoon of curry powder.

(Use the other half to make yourself a lemonade- a bit of chopped cilantro adds a yummy flavor boost!) 

• Toss all ingredients together while quinoa is still a bit warm (this bring out the flavor of the cilantro, lemon, onion, etc.)  then place in the fridge to chill.

• Top with the crushed cashews (or stir them in).

You can do more curry if you'd like, I do more than the recipe calls for since I love it.  I made the recipe for the way the average person likes it!

Enjoy your salad- it would be great to bring to a pitch-in cookout!

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