Quinoa Salad

So I'd been hearing lots about quinoa (pronounced "keen-wa") lately. So I thought I'd check it out. Quinoa is a grain that originates from the Andes Mountains of South America. It was one of the three staple foods, along with corn and potatoes of the Inca civilization. It doesn't look like much, but its actually really good.

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 English cucumber, diced
1 pepper (red, orange, green, whatever you prefer, or a combination), chopped
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp dried oregano
Salt & pepper
5-6 fresh basil leaves, sliced thinly
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Quinoa usually needs to be rinsed first, so put the quinoa into a pot and run some warm water into the pot. Let sit for 3 minutes and then drain the water. Then add the 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 7-10 minutes. Drain.

While the quinoa is cooking, chop up the veggies. You can be creative with the veggies, use what you have (I have also used corn kernals).

In a bowl or jar, combine the olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, dijon mustard and oregano. Season with salt & pepper. Stir well to combine.

Once the quinoa is cooked and cooled slightly, mix together with the veggies, basil, feta cheese and dressing.