Eat Well: Quinoa "Informal Gathering" Salad

This will be the last of my quinoa posts. I figure I should probably quit before someone gets hurt. Quinoa may be delicious but too much of anything can be dangerously annoying so let this be my swan song.

The "Informal Gathering Salad" is appropriately named for its casual dining appeal. It is summer after all, and nothing says "informal gathering" like roasted peppers and fresh corn. Actually, that's not true. Quinoa with roasted peppers and corn indeed says "informal gathering" better.

And now, I will show you how to make said dish.

For this quick and easy (five-minutes? Ten?) recipe you will need the following.

1. One box of Quinoa (white, red or in the case of my photos, red AND white! America!)

2. One medium/large container of plain nonfat, lowfat or whatever-fat-you-prefer yogurt.

3. Cilantro (I know, I know. There was cilantro in the last quinoa quickie but you guys, it's a summer party salad! It HAS to have cilantro to legitimize its yum! Ha! Take that, meanies!)

4. One Fresh Bell Pepper (for color and crunch!) One of the great rules of eating well (my mother, the great WWW taught me this) is to "eat the rainbow"... The more colors you have on your plate the better the meal is for your bod.

5. One container of Roasted Bell Peppers - you can either go with jarred (see below) or make your own. I buy cases of jarred, roasted peppers because it's just easier that way. And quick. Which works for me. (ED: Roasted peppers are amazing with crackers as an afternoon snack as well. Mmm.)

6. Lastly you will need three ears of fresh corn on the cob. White, yellow... whatever you wish.

Now... Let's make us some party:

1. Go ahead and cook your quinoa. (I cook mine in veggie broth.)

2. As you're boiling your quinoa, go ahead and chop your cilantro, raw peppers, roasted peppers and knife the corn off your cob. Yeah, baby.

3. Pour the raw corn corn into your serving bowl, followed by the chopped roasted peppers.

4. Pour the freshly cooked quinoa into the bowl and onto the raw corn and roasted peppers. The quinoa MUST be hot off the stove so its heat can partially cook the raw corn.

5. Add the yogurt to the mix. And then mix.

ED: use your discretion - this is not an exact science. AT. ALL. I kind of just make this stuff up as I go so you'll have to pay attention as not to OD your food with ingredients. (I don't understand measuring cups so good.) In this case, slowly add yogurt and stir. You'll want the quinoa to look coated but not drenched in the stuff. Once stirred in with all the goods, it should look a lil some'n like this:

5. Go ahead and add your chopped cilantro and raw peppers. Stir well until even and delicious-looking.

6. Refrigerate and serve cold as a side salad or, if you're like me, a main course!

One batch should feed about 25-30 guests.

(ED: Every time I bring this salad to a party it's GONE in, like, five minutes. People literally take to-go cups of the stuff, it's THAT good. Even if my presentation in this post is less than stellar.)

In the words of Brobee and the crew, "Try it. You're gonna like it."

Unless you're Archer. Archer and quinoa are not BFFs. Fable on the other hand...

GGC