Greek Quinoa Salad

This is not a picture of the salad I made. I just wanted you to see what the little grains look like. Aren't they cute? =0)

Okay, so we tried the spaghetti squash salad recipe I posted previously - sort of. We don't have a microwave in this apartment, so I cooked the squash in the oven for the first time. It ended up getting a little overdone. We didn't think that squishy cold squash salad sounded very good, so we scrapped that idea. Instead, we used quinoa (thanks for the info, Lashelle!). I had never had quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) before and I really like it! So here's the recipe for the salad I ended up making:

1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
1 container (pint?) grape tomatoes, halved
1 4 oz container reduced-fat feta cheese
1 whole cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 red onion, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

Dressing:

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

Rinse the quinoa thoroughly. Cook the quinoa in 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes. The quinoa is done when the grains are slightly translucent. Drain any excess water. Add all of the vegetables and cheese. Pour the dressing over the top and mix.

1 cup = 4 points. Yields 8 cups.

Because quinoa is a complete protein, this can be used as a main dish. We had it along with grilled tilapia fillets for a 6 point meal. I think next time I might not put as many olives in it. Jason picks them out and even I found them to be a little much.