Veggie Quinoa Salad

alpine1994

I made this last night. I have never tried quinoa before and thought I'd give it a whirl. This is a salad you eat cold. It makes 12 servings and I made it to take something different for lunch. It came out so good, and even the boyfriend loves it! I only put a total of 1tsp salt (it asked for 3! yikes!) and only put 1tbsp of EVOO. Everything else is the same. It's even already in the database. It's about 150 cals for approx. 3/4 cup.

1 teaspoon canola oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup diced (yellow or purple) onion
2 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups quinoa

3/4 cup diced fresh tomato
3/4 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Heat the canola oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir the garlic and 1/4 cup onion in the hot oil until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in the water, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and bring to a boil; stir the quinoa into the mixture, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. Simmer until the quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain any remaining water from the quinoa with a mesh strainer and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Refrigerate until cold.
Stir the tomato, carrots, bell pepper, cucumber, corn, and 1/4 cup red onion into the chilled quinoa. Season with cilantro, mint, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the salad; gently stir until evenly mixed.