QUINOA SALAD

Quinoa Salads are big now and there have been several versions on Pinterest  This is mine.  I like this salad a lot and know I will have it in the refrigerator often for a healthy lunch.  One of my vegetarian sons was here when I made it and liked it also.  Quinoa is a very healthy grain grown in the Andes I believe and has no gluten.  You can buy it in most grocers now.  Costco sold it once.  I haven't seen it lately but maybe it is there.  
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Put 2 T. oil in a 2 qt. pot and stir fry, until lightly brown: 1- 2 cloves of grated garlic, 1 T. Cumin seeds crushed in a mortar and pistil a little, and 1 ¼ C. Quinoa.  Add 2 ½ C. water, 1 tsp. salt and 10 grinds of pepper and simmer covered for 15 minutes.  Add to the hot grain ½ C. dried fruit as desired:  Golden raisins, dried cranberries or snipped dry apricots or a combination of any.  Add 1 can of rinsed black beans and ½ C. rinsed frozen peas.   Mix together 3 more T. oil with ¼ C. fresh lime juice and ½ tsp. ground cumin.   Mix everything together with ½ C. chopped Cilantro (optional but I love it in here)  and ½ C. slightly chopped pecans or toasted almonds.  Adjust the salt and pepper.  Add some green onions if desired.  Chill and when ready to serve add some cubed Avocado as desired. 

The recipe I based this on had smoked paprika and it was terrible.  I decided that I don’t like smoked paprika.  It is just too overpowering.    I added a little Garam Masala (a very nice Indian spice) to the paprika and it was a great improvement.  Some time I will make it with only the Garam Masala instead of the Cumin. 1 tsp. added to the dressing will probably be about right.