Quinoa Cucumber Salad

Okay, if I eat another leftover easter ham sandwich or one more Reese's peanut butter egg...there's going to be trouble. And by trouble I mean elastic waist pants. It doesn't help any that I have visited both here and here in the past two nights. So let's try something light and healthy for a change, no?

This salad is really fresh tasting and keeps fairly well overnight. It would likely make a good side dish to some fish but I usually just end up calling it a meal all on it's own.

Quinoa Cucumber Salad
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1.5 TB red wine vinegar
1 TB olive oil
1 cucumber, de-seeded and thinly sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped

Bring quinoa and 1 cup salted water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, until all of the water is absorbed and quinoa is tender, usually around 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

Add vinegar, oil, scallions, parsley and cucumber to the quinoa. I usually use a regular cucumber that I remove the seeds from with a little spoon, but an english cucumber could be an easier way to go. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy! It's delicious room temp or chilled, making it a great potluck dish.