Quinoa Salad

Here’s how I cook quinoa:
Ratio is 1:2
2 cups quinoa
4 cups water (or veggie broth) 
First I heat a little olive oil on in the pan on med-low heat and once heated I add the quinoa dry.  I “sauté” the quinoa dry in the olive oil for about 15 minutes, until it is a little browned and fragrant, stirring often.  Then I add the water/broth, bring to a boil with the lid on.  Take the lid off once it begins boiling, stir once and bring down to a simmer, put the lid on and set timer for 20 minutes.  Important: do not peek – do not lift the lid during cooking at all.  When 20 minutes is up, just take the quinoa off the burner, crack the lid and let it cool for 10 minutes before stirring.  Let the quinoa cool down a bit before adding any of these ingredients.
While the quinoa is cooking I mix the following for the dressing:
¼ cup tahini
3 Tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
3 T olive oil
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 T lemon juice
½ T brown sugar
1 T crushed garlic
1 teaspoon of the following spices:
Sea salt
Pepper
2 teaspoons of the following:
Dill 
Thyme
Paprika
Coriander
Cumin
Onion powder
Mix this dressing thoroughly and then mix it throughout the quinoa.
Then add the following:
1 cup chick peas
½ cup chopped tomatoes
½ cup chopped cucumbers
½ cup chopped Italian (flat leaf) parsley
¼ cup chopped kalamata olives

Mix all ingredients in a large pot or bowl and let sit for a couple hours so that the flavors intensify.  Add more of any spice if you wish.  Enjoy!!

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