Salmon and Quinoa Salad

For Mother's Day this year, part of my gift from Vince and Alexa was a bag of beautiful heirloom variety black quinoa.  This might not seem like a big deal, but I took it as a sign of Vince's surrender to the addition of less-than-mainstream ingredients to our diet.  Since then, I've been keeping an eye out for quinoa recipes, so when I saw the combination of quinoa and salmon on The Way the Cookie Crumbles, I added it to our weekly menu.

I used fresh salmon rather than the smoked salmon Bridget used, omitted the dill and cucumber and added sliced scallions.  This was a hit in our house, surprisingly so with Alexa.  She sneaked salmon from the mixing bowl while we were waiting for the quinoa to cook, and practically ate her weight in "funny rice."  With a side of lightly steamed sugar snap peas, this was a delicious, healthy dinner that the whole family enjoyed.

Salmon and Quinoa Salad

What's in it:

1 c quinoa
2-3 c chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
16 oz cooked salmon, flaked
1 lemon, juice and zest
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced4 oz feta cheese, chopped or crumbled

How to make it:

Rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer until water runs clear and foaming stops.  Cook the quinoa according to the package directions, using chicken broth in place of water and adding the salt and the zest of the lemon.   Drain off any unabsorbed water.

Let the quinoa cool slightly, then mix in the salmon and remaining ingredients.   Let sit for a few minutes, then serve.