Quinoa: The Sacred Food

What is quiona you ask? Umm, the greatest food ever! Quinoa looks like a grain but comes from a plant that is closely related to spinach. The Incas referred to it as "the sacred food". It is also has very high protein content and a balanced set of amino acids which makes it a complete protein source, this is not that common among plants.  Quinoa is also gluten-free and easy to digest... I could go on and on about the wonders and history of quinoa, but if you want to know more the Internet has a plethora of information you can read.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa

So how do you cook it? Pretty much the same way your would cook cous cous or rice.
2 parts liquid to 1 part quinoa and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, simmer, cover and stir until all the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy. It will have a slightly nutty taste and bit of a crunch too it.
You can serve it hot or cold and season it however you like.  Here is something I did with it recently. Follow the jump for my Mediterranean Quinoa Salad recipe.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa
2 cups low sodium chicken broth

Dressing:
The juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Other ingredients:
3 Tbs chopped parsley
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 cup kalamata or other black olives, pitted and sliced in half
3-4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled or cubed

1. Place 1 cup of uncooked quinoa in a bowl of cold water to rinse it off. Then strain through a fine sieve.
2. Heat pot on medium hear and add 1 Tbs of olive oil.
3. Add quinoa and stir around in oil for 2 mins.
4. Add 2 cups low sodium chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover pot. Stir occasionally until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid and is tender. The quinoa looks like it has almost popped out of the shell. Remove from heat.
4. While the quinoa is cooking, whisk lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper together in a bowl and stream in extra virgin olive oil. Continue whisking until combined.
5. Combine the dressing with the cooked quinoa in a bowl. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour (or more if needed)
6. When quinoa is cooled add in parsley, tomatoes, olives, scallions and feta. Be sure to add only when quinoa is cooled completely or else the parsley will not be as green and the feta might melt a bit.
Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.