We’re slowly coming out of a heat wave (and still practically no rain, going on almost two months!). Needless to say, I have not turned on the oven much. And I have no need to do so with so much lovely fresh fruit and vegetables from our farmers’ markets. Salads with quinoa have been one of my sustaining meals, along with pint after pint of blueberries, yogurt, and ice cold water.
I have taken the frying pan out to briefly stir fry some ingredients to throw into a bowl of quinoa. Here is one such mixture. These lovely orange cherry tomatoes are one of the highlights of summer for me. I love their sweetness. Along with fresh mint, parsley, and olive oil, I can see many possibilities for these cherubs.
Quinoa tips It is very easy to make and doesn’t take much time. Make sure your package says that it can be simmered in about 10 minutes or so if you’re short on time. You can tell it is cooked when it is translucent with a white threaded outline. I make some extra cups when I cook it and then store it in the fridge for another salad the next day. If you have just cooked it, let it cool for a bit before adding the other ingredients.
Tomato & Red Onion Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups of cooked quinoa
- 1/2 a pint of cherry tomatoes, each tomato sliced in half
- 1 cup of red onions, diced
- 1/4 cup of olive oil, plus more for the stir fry
- pinch of salt
- 1/8 cup of lemon or lime juice
- 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh mint & 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley (I process it until it is almost pesto grade)
Preparation
- In a medium size frying pan, place the onions and enough olive oil to coat the onions. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and stir everything together. Place on a medium heat and let the onions soften for about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add the sliced tomatoes to the frying pan and mix until everything is covered with olive oil. Add more oil if necessary.
- Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add all the ingredients into a big serving bowl, stir until it is all evenly distributed. Add some salt to taste.
- At this point you can enjoy it now or chill for later.
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You instructions for the mint is listed twice. Do you use the mint only or is there another herb?
Ok, the heat is getting to me. Thanks for catching that! It’s mint and parsley.
Note: I also changed the amount of olive oil added.
This is delicious! Light, refreshing, and full of flavor! Just one question: do the 2 cups of quinoa “cooked” mean two cups of uncooked quinoa or two cups measured after cooking? Maybe I am over-thinking this, but just wanted to know for next time. Thank you!
Ah, yes, that can be confusing. I mean 2 cups of already cooked quinoa (about). That clear as mud?
Thanks, Erica! That makes sense. I used 2 cups of uncooked quinoa, which seemed like a lot. However, I just added in the other 1/2 pint of tomatoes and some more onion to make a double batch, so it worked out well
Nice. The beauty of ratios cannot be understated. Have a great weekend.