I love quinoa.  More than life sometimes. What I love most about this tiny little grain, is the many ways you can prepare it to eat. Once it is cooked you can have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, even dessert. It is a miracle food and I love experimenting with it as a base.

I was having a cookout the other day and as I was shopping for different BBQ delights, I wanted to give my guests a side different than your typical “potato or macaroni salad” you see sitting next to your hot dog at the party.  I came up with the idea of incorporating, feta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes in with the quinoa. This dish is just delightful; it’s light, fresh, playful, and honestly my favorite alternative to a side I’ve tried to date.

Here’s what you need:

* 1 cup quinoa
* 2 cups of Water
* Feta Cheese Crumbles (about 1 cup)
* Diced Onions
* 1/4 cup minced fresh herbs
* 1/3 cup diced sun dried tomatoes in oil
* organic soy sauce or Ponzu
* 1 shallot diced
* 3 cloves of garlic diced
* Pinch of crushed red pepper
* Kosher salt and black pepper

What you need to do:

* heat the quiona over the stove to get the grains warm
* Quickly add 2 cups of water and cover on med/high heat for 12 mins.
* check on the quinoa and stir occasionally till water is gone, and it looks fluffy.
* Remove quinoa from heat and let sit for 10 mins to cool.
* When the quinoa is done, dump quinoa and ingredients into a large bowl.
* MIX and let it cool.
* Taste and adjust

It’s such a great and easy recipe. You can add/substitute any of these ingredients to your own personal liking.

Let us know here at TasteOdyssey.com, if you have tried this recipe or if you have any ideas for Quinoa you’d like to share! We love hearing from you!

Buen Provecho!

Tags: black pepper, breakfast lunch dinner, cloves of garlic, cookout, cool taste, crushed red pepper, cup quinoa, diced onions, easy recipe, fresh herbs, high heat, kosher salt, macaroni salad, miracle food, personal liking, quiona, shallot, soy sauce, sun dried tomato, sun dried tomatoes