Quinoa the new rice/ pasta.

I am making this again soon.  Quinoa. is NOT grain. It is a seed. It is pronounced "keen-Wah".
Nutritional facts about quinoa.

Eat one cup of quinoa (a single serving size), and you’ll consume:

• 220 calories (70 percent carbs, 15 percent fat, 15 percent protein)
• 40 grams of carbohydrates (13 percent daily value)
• 8 grams of protein (16 percent of daily value)
• 3.5 grams of fat (5 percent daily value with no saturated fat)
• A glycemic load (blood sugar spike) of only 18 out of 250
• 5 grams of fiber (20 percent of daily value)
• 20 percent of daily value of folate (various forms of Vitamin B)
• 30 percent of magnesium daily value (beneficial for people with migraine headaches); 28 percent daily value of phosphorous; iron (15 percent); copper (18 percent); and manganese (almost 60 percent)

Quinoa is stocked with life-sustaining nutrients all across the board, including all eight essential amino acids. There are other highly beneficial compounds, vitamins and minerals in this food that the Incas reverently called "chisaya mama" (mother of all grains).
(Thank you Mother Nature Network for making that information easy to find.)
I have had quinoa combined in a rice blend with brown rice and long grain/ wild rice.  and then cook in chicken broth and add your favorite flavors. Use just like rice and serve hot) 

Or cool it and use it like pasta and serve cold. Either way it is excellent for you.

Quinoa Salad
• 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 tomato diced
• 1/2 cucumber seeded and diced. (scoop the seeds out. Then cut in long strips and cut across)
• ½ c Frozen corn (I like white)
• ½ red or orange bell pepper diced.
• parsley
• cilantro
• avocado (optional)
• 1 cup quinoa
• ½ lime juice
• 1-2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup basalmic vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 green onions sliced or ½ c of finely diced red onion.
• Small pinch of red chili flakes ( crushed red) a splash of it for the dressing
How to make it
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• Boil 1 cup Quinoa with 2 cups water and salt for 15 minutes. The water will evaporate or be absorbed kind of like rice. Fluff and let cool.
• In the meantime, put the black beans, tomato, and cucumber in to a serving bowl. Chop parsley and cilantro well and add to the bowl (you may want a lot or a little it is up to you), about 5 sprigs or more of each.
• To make the dressing put the green onions, garlic clove, red chili, 3 parsley sprigs, 3 cilantro sprigs, 1 tbsp of dijon mustard into the food processor (or blender) and process. Then add the basalmic and olive oil and process until mixed together well. This will make MORE than enough dressing.
• Once the Quinoa is done cooking and cooled dump into the bowl and add ½ c of the dressing. Stir it all together (or put it all into a bowl with a lid, and shake to mix.) and if you would like avocado I would add it now (to avoid it getting mooshy.)
• Taste. Add salt and pepper more dressing if you would like. Enjoy!
• I have also added a jalepeno to the dressing before with the seeds removed. This is optional. GO SPARINGLY with jalepeno, unless you know you like it hot.