Black Quinoa Salad and Quinoa Scampi

I decided to use black quinoa instead of the usual white and it made a really pretty and tasty salad.  I found that the black quinoa really benefitted from a good soaking and then rinsing; otherwise, it remained too seed-like.  I also used less water than regular quinoa.  You can use any veggie combination; I just pick out nice colors that compliment each other.

1 cup black quinoa

1-1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and 1/2-inch diced

1 cup corn
4 green onions, chopped
½ cup feta

½ cup Cilantro

Zest and juice of one lemon

Put the quinoa in a fine strainer and immerse in cold water for about 10 minutes.  Drain and rinse well.  Put in a small saucepan and add the broth.  Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until all of the water has absorbed.

Put the cooked quinoa in a large bowl and stir with a fork.  Let cool for 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally with the fork.

Add all the veggies, lemon and zest, cilantro, and the feta cheese.  Stir to combine.

Black Quinoa Salad Shrimp Scampi:

I decided to make my Shrimp Scampi and then I poured that over this Black Quinoa Salad instead of pasta.  I left the lemon and zest out of the salad since there’s plenty in the scampi.  I also substituted parsley for cilantro and used plenty of garlic.  The recipe for my Shrimp Scampi is a page or two back.  This was so flavorful!