I love the cookbook Feeding the Whole Family, by Cynthia Lair. It’s self-styled as a reference for feeding babies, 
young, children, and their parents, but this is a fabulous whole-food cookbook whose recipes are definitely for adults.
This is an adaptation of a recipe that I especially like, and I alter it by substituting vegetable broth for olive oil in the dressing. The salad is especially good with any extra veggies you may have lying around: bell peppers, cucumber, greens, heirloom tomatoes, and sliced red cabbage are particularly nice additions to the recipe. It’s all good.
Serves 4 – 6
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa, red or white
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 1/3 cup minced parsley
- 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
- optional vegetables: cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, red onion, etc., as desired
Dressing
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1 T tamari or shoyu (soy sauce)
Quinoa has a coating called saponin, which should always be rinsed off before preparing. Rinse well and drain quinoa, then add to pot with water and salt, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and cover, then cook for 15 minutes. Let stand covered for five minutes, then let stand uncovered for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork.
Put quinoa, carrots, parsley, sunflower seeds, and any other veggies in a large bowl and toss. Add all of the dressing ingredients — no need to mix the dressing beforehand. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
