Quinoa Chicken Salad

I've said it before - quinoa is the most wonderful little morsel. I was in a hurry to get something made for lunch, and decided to "invent" a quinoa salad. I'd just made the Asian Chicken Thighs the other night and was thinking the sauce would go pretty well in a salad. I made half of the sauce and added the red pepper flakes (which was an after thought with the chicken). It was one of my favorite quinoa dishes in a while. My only regret is that I didn't make a bigger batch.

I also think this would be really good with beans - kidney or black would go best - for a vegetarian dish. You could even add the beans with the chicken to beef it up a bit. The possibilities are endless. You are limited only by your imagination.

Did I mention I wish I'd made a bigger batch? Feel free to double it. I probably will next time. :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry quinoa
Scant 1 1/2 cup water
1 T. olive oil 
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 sweet or red onion, diced
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 can (12 oz) chicken chunks, drained and broken up with a fork - or even better, use equivalent chicken breast

For the sauce:
2 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or you can use soy sauce, but use less)
2 T. honey
1 T. ketchup
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more if you like it hot)

Directions:
Bring water to a boil in medium saucepan. Add quinoa and stir well. Cook 15 minutes, until all water is absorbed. I use slightly less than the 3:1 water to quinoa ratio so it doesn't get mushy.

While quinoa is cooking, preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, then coat with cooking spray. You want both: the olive oil for the "full mouth feel" and the cooking spray so you use less olive oil. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook and stir frequently until vegetables are soft and just starting to caramelize. Add broccoli. Cook and stir a few minutes longer or until broccoli is tender but not mushy. Remove from heat.

In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the sauce, whisking well to combine the honey. Combine quinoa, vegetables and chicken in a large mixing bowl. Stir in sauce, completely incorporating.

Serve warm or cold - warm is my favorite!

Makes about 3 servings.