The original (extremely tasty) recipe is from my friend Debra who made it with cous cous instead of quinoa... making it with quinoa was an adaptation for a gluten-intolerant friend and I ended up preferring it. I like to make this early in the day if I can so the flavors can meld.
1 c. cous-cous or quinoa
Amounts to taste of: (estimates of my first attempt amounts in parenthesis)
diced tomatoes (1-2 Roma, seeds removed)
minced parsley (maybe 1/3 c?, I use flat-leaf)
chopped cucumbers (1/2 English/hothouse, I leave this out if I think the salad’s going to be in the fridge for more than a couple of days)
chopped olives (1/4 c. kalamatas)
feta (1/2 c. crumbled)
toasted pine nuts (2-3 T.) OR roasted sunflower seeds (I use 2-3 times the amount of sunflower seeds)
For the dressing:
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
1/4 C olive oil
1.5 t mustard
1.5 t ground cumin
2 cloves minced garlic
Cook cous-cous or quinoa. I found a fantastic method for making extra fluffy quinoa at gourmet.com:
Cook quinoa in a medium saucepan of well-salted boiling water, uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve. Add 1 inch water to saucepan and set sieve in pan (make sure bottom of sieve is not touching water) and bring water to a boil. Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel (not terry cloth), then cover with a lid (don’t worry if lid doesn’t fit tightly) and steam until tender, fluffy, and dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand off heat, without lid but still covered with towel, 5 minutes. [NOTE: original recipe said to wash quinoa in several changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a large fine-mesh sieve. After seeing several quinoa recipes that did NOT call for extensive rinsing, I tried skipping it… and didn’t notice any difference.]
Empty the hot water from the saucepan, rinse pan with cool water, and return quinoa to pan. Pour in dressing (doing this while the quinoa is still steamy helps it absorb the dressing and takes the harsh edge off the garlic). Add remaining veggies/feta/olives and mix. Serve at room temp.
