Mediterranean Style Quinoa Salad

I went to a potluck-style crafting gathering yesterday.  After Googling for ideas, this quick and easy salad is what I came up with to bring, based on wanting to use ingredients I already had at home and only buying minimal new/additional things (the only thing I had to go out and get were the lemons).  And it's vegan if you put Honey in that category.

INGREDIENTS
Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your cooking process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white should be kept separate by itself.

For the Quinoa: 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 1 cup of Tri-Color Quinoa 1.5 cups of Water

For the Salad: 1/2 cup of Carrots, cut into ~1/2” matchsticks 3 Scallions, chopped 1.5 cups of cooked Pinto Beans, completely cooled (or one 15-ounce can) Note: Pinto Beans are what I had cooked on hand. You really can use any beans you like, or chickpeas. 1.5 cups of Arugula, roughly chopped 3/4 cup of small-chopped Broccoli 2 Tablespoons of chopped Fresh Parsley 2/3 cup of Raisins 1/3 cup of Sunflower Seeds

For the Dressing: 1/2 cup of Olive Oil 6 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice 2 Tablespoons of Honey 4 cloves of Garlic, minced 1 teaspoon of Kosher Salt 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper 1/2 teaspoon of Cumin 1/2 teaspoon of Chili Powder 1/4 teaspoon of Smoked Paprika 1/4 teaspoon of Cinnamon Up to 1/4 teaspoon of Nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat the 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil in a medium pot, then toast the Quinoa in it for 3-5 minutes (stirring occasionally).

2. Add the 1.5 cups water to the pot with the Quinoa and bring it to a boil.

3. Once it's boiling, remove it from heat, cover, and let stand for 15 minutes until the water is all absorbed.  Then cool it completely.

4. While the Quinoa is cooking and cooling, you can combine all the Salad ingredients in a large bowl.

5. Also, put all the Dressing ingredients into an airtight jar -- and stir and shake well to combine.
6. Finally, mix together the Quinoa, Salad ingredients, and (about two-thirds of) the Dressing.  Taste and add more Dressing if you desire.

We really liked this salad.  Next time -- and there *will* be a next time -- I might try adding in some Sumac, too.

This post is an original recipe that I created from scratch.

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

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