Curried Quinoa Salad

3 cups leftover quinoa
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced avocado
1/2 cup sliced black olives
2 Tblsp chopped fresh parsley
4 Tblsp olive oil
2 Tblsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp chile powder

Toss quinoa with cucumber, onion, carrot, celery, avocado, olives and parsley. Measure oil, lemon juice and spices into a small jar. Cover the jar and shake together to mix well. Toss with the quinoa mixture and chill.

Variation: Add chopped tomato or bell pepper.

12 servings.

Quinoa Salad

2 cups water
pinch salt
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1 cup corn, cooked
1 cup fresh green peas or frozen, cooked
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1-2 celery stalks, diced
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 orange
3-4 fresh basil leaves, minced
soy sauce
2 Tblsp olive oil

Bring water and salt to boil over medium heat. Add quinoa and bring back to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy. Toss quinoa with corn, peas, cucumber and celery in large bowl. Whisk together lemon and orange juice, basil, soy sauce to taste and oil in small bowl. Pour dressing over hot quinoa mixture and toss to combine. Serve immediately or quinoa will become soggy.  Makes 4 servings.

Quinoa Tabouli

1/2 cup quinoa or 1 1/2 cups leftover cooked quinoa
1 small cucumber, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 green onions, chopped
1 small carrot, shredded
1/4 cup black olives, sliced
3 Tblsp olive oil
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 1/2 Tblsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
6 large lettuce leaves

Rinse and cook quinoa. Combine cucumber, parsley, onion, carrot, olives with quinoa in a medium bowl, tossing gently. Place remaining ingredients in a small jar. Cover jar and shake well to mix. Pour mixture over quinoa and vegetables and toss gently until well coated. Cover and chill in refrigerator. Serve on lettuce leaves or chop lettuce and mix into the salad.  6 servings.

Quinoa Waldorf Salad

1/3 c quinoa or 1 c leftover quinoa
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/4 c chopped nuts
1 (5oz) can turkey, or chicken
2 Tblsp Mayonnaise
6 large lettuce leaves

Cook quinoa. Mix rest of ingredients, except lettuce, in a medium bowl. Add drained and cooled quinoa and mix well. Chill and serve on lettuce leaves.

6 servings.

Lemon Dill Potato Salad

6 medium Yukon gold or red potatoes
1 Tblsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
3 Tblsp lemon juice
1/4 c olive oil
1 shallot, minced (3 Tblsp)
1/4 c chopped fresh dill, parsley or basil
1 stalk celery, diced (optional)

Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Place in a pan and pour in enough cold water to cover by 1-inch. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until potatoes are just tender; about 15 minutes.Drain and cool.

Combine mustard, salt, pepper, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add lemon juice and stir until blended. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Add shallot, dill, celery and potatoes. Toss gently and season with salt and pepper.