Master Chef

So, we've been watching a little MasterChef lately. There's an entire season recorded on the DVR and we're a little bit addicted. I love cooking shows like these because they always make me a bit more adventurous in the kitchen. It's like I'm in my own mystery box every time I go to make dinner.

This week, on a whim, I tried a new recipe. We were headed out to an evening meeting so we didn't have a ton of time. We had to eat early so we weren't super hungry. I was looking for something nice and light and perfect for summer. I landed on this cold quinoa salad and it was delicious! The best part was that all of the veggies came from the CSA and the herbs were fresh from our garden.

Tomato-Mint Quinoa Salad

adapted from allrecipes.com

2 1/2 cups water

1 1/4 cups uncooked quinoa

1/3 cups golden rainsins

1 generous pinch kosher salt

1 large tomato diced 

2 small onions minced

1 small cucumber diced

3 tbsp sliced almonds

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsely

1 tbsp ground cumin

1/4 cup lime juice

2 tbsp sesame oil

salt and pepper to taste

goat cheese for topping

Bring water to boil in a small saucepan. Pour in quinoa, raisins, and pinch of salt. Cover, and let simmer for about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool to room temperature. I set my saucepan on a cookie rack to allow airflow under the pot to speed cooling.

Toss together the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, and almonds in a large serving bowl. Add mint, parsley, cumin, lime juice, sesame oil, and salt. Once quinoa is cooled to room temperature (or as long as you can stand to wait - mine was still a bit warm when I mixed it in) add it to the bowl of goodness.

Chill for as long as you can stand it in the refrigerator, preferably about 1-2 hours. The salad is best chilled. Serve in individual bowls topped with goat cheese.