Quinoa with Pesto

Knowing I had a jar of this gorgeous spinach pesto that was prepared earlier in the week were ready to be used, I started imagining a giant quinoa and vegetable salad. Now that the weather has warmed up and the daylight lasts into the dinner hour, it feels delightfully right to eat cool, grain salad.  I simmered two cups of quinoa (treat it just like brown rice, with a 2 to 1 water to grain ratio) and while those things cooked, I chopped cucumber, grilled portabella mushroom, red onion, feta cheese, tomato and spring onion.

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa (cooked in 2 cups water)

1/2 red onion, roughly chopped

1/2 english cucumber, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 spring onion, chopped

Couple of white mushroom or 1 grilled baby bella, cubed

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained, optional

6 ounces feta, crumbled

4 ounces of pesto

1 tbsp lemon juice and some zest

salt

pepper

Toasted almonds (optional)

Method

• Cook the two cups of quinoa by combining it with four cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce temperature. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until it is tender. When it is finished cooking, spread it out on a cookie sheet to cool.
• Combine chopped , onion, mushroom, cucumber, spring onion and drained garbanzo beans in a large bowl.
• Whisk the pesto, lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil together until runny. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add quinoa to the chopped vegetables. Gently stir to combine. Add the crumbled feta and dressing and fold in. Top with toasted almonds and serve. Can be made up to 24 hours in advance.