Coconut and Lime Quinoa Salad

In the heat of summer, this zingy and slightly sweet quinoa salad hits the spot! The trick is to adjust the seasonings at the end ---- a good amount of lime and salt will elevate the flavors to deliver the ultimate YUM factor. 

Ingredients:

Quinoa

1 TB coconut oil

1 cup quinoa, well rinsed

1¾ cups of water

½ tsp salt

¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

zest of one lime

¼ cup cilantro minced

¼ cup currants, or other dried fruit chopped such as cranberries or raisins

½ cup red pepper, small dice

Dressing:

2 TB lime juice, plus more to taste

2 TB canola or grape seed oil (choose a mild oil)

½ tsp honey

¼ tsp salt, plus more to taste

1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste

Directions:

Heat the coconut oil in small pot.  Add the rinsed quinoa and let it toast, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes until the quinoa is coated and starts to stick to the pot.  Then add 1 ¾ cup water, ½ tsp salt, and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed.  Take the pot off the heat, gently fluff with a fork, add lime zest and coconut flakes, and let sit partially covered for another 10 minutes.

Transfer quinoa to a bowl, and let it cool to room temperature.  To cool the quinoa more quickly, spread on a baking sheet with afork.   Add the remaining ingredients: cilantro, currants and red pepper.  Drizzle with dressing and toss gently. Taste, and add more lime, salt, or pepper, to your liking.

 Makes 4 cups.