Keen on quinoa

I've been eating more of the ancient Aztec grain called quinoa (keen-wah) lately, tossing it in soups, steaming it to go with stir-fries, and letting it star in salads. It makes a great alternative to brown rice, which is my long-standing whole grain of choice for various and sundry dishes.

Because the quinoa grains are so small, I finely chop up the veggies I'm combining with it -- going for a confetti effect with the shapes and colors. Then I toss it all together with a simple vinaigrette and serve it on a bed of greens. Today I added wedges of sweet and succulent just-picked garden tomatoes.

It does make for a beautiful meal, doesn't it?
vegetarian food cooking quinoa salad