Mediterranean Quinoa Recipe

Rinse the quinoa in a bowl or fine strainer until the water runs clear then drain.

Open the can of tomatoes and separate the tomatoes from the juice, pouring the 1/2 cup of tomato juice into a 2 cup measurer. If there isn't a 1/2 cup of tomato juice in the can, just use more chicken stock to measure 2 cups of liquid.

Peel, smash, and dice one clove garlic.

Bring stock and tomato juice to a boil.

Once it boils add a generous pinch of sea salt to the liquid, add the quinoa and garlic clove, and reduce the heat to bring the quinoa to a simmer.

Let it cook covered for 16-18 minutes on low to medium low heat until cooked.

Then turn off heat. Let the quinoa sit for 5-10 minutes before fluffing it with a fork.

While the quinoa is cooking cut the onion and fresh herbs.

If you are using the beans, rinse and drain them well.

Slice the olives.

In a blender or food processor combine all ingredients except olive oil. Whiz until blended.

With processor running, slowly pour in olive oil in a slow steady stream. Whiz until ingredients are blended and emulsified.

After you have fluffed the quinoa and finished the dressing, add all of the ingredients you are putting into the quinoa except for the dressing and lightly mix.

Add the dressing a TBS at time.

Gently mix and taste to decide how much you dressing you like for flavor. I use about 2-3 TBS, but you may prefer less or more than that - it will depend how many of the ingredients you choose to use and the overall volume of the dish.