Quinoa & Chick Pea Salad

Another no-recipe recipe coming at you... the beauty of this particular dish is that you can use whatever fresh produce you have on hand and make as much or as little as you want. (I made enough for 1-2 servings, depending on whether you count it as a side-dish or entree.) This "recipe" lends itself beautifully to swap outs so you can make it with just about anything in your pantry if you don't like quinoa: couscous, bulgar wheat, wheat berries, barley, brown rice, or any short cut pasta.

Quinoa & Chick Pea Salad

Ingredients:
quinoa
cooking liquid of choice (water, vegetable stock, chicken stock... whatever floats your boat)
carrot, diced
shallot, diced
cucumber, diced
roasted red pepper, diced
cherry tomatoes, diced
chick peas, drained and rinsed
extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
any combination of fresh/dry herbs (I used parsley, thyme, basil, pinch of oregano)
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
In an appropriately sized pot, cook the quinoa in your liquid of choice, adding the carrots about half through the cooking time. (For my single entree serving, I used 1/4 cup quinoa + 1/2 cup veg stock.)

Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. (I like to make my vinaigrette with 1 part vinegar to 2 parts oil.) Stir in the quinoa once it's absorbed all of the liquid and then cooled slightly. Finish with fresh herbs and enjoy at room temperature or, if you have the patience to wait, it's even better after it's been refrigerated for a couple of hours.

Enjoy!