Greek Quinoa Salad

This is another recipe from the new Michael Smith cookbook I picked up a couple of weeks ago. I originally made it to go with a roast chicken, but it was robust enough that you could have it on it's own for lunch or a light dinner. It was also super easy to put together, which is always a bonus in my eyes. If you wanted to make this vegan, just omit the feta cheese and replace the honey in the dressing with brown rice syrup or maple syrup. I made a few minor modifications based on my preferences as well.

Quinoa Greek Salad
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 large English cucumber, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 8 - 12 ounces feta cheese, drained and crumbled
- 1 cup pistachios
- leaves from a large bunch of fresh mint

Dressing
- zest and juice from 2 lemons
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp of your favourite hot sauce

Rinse the quinoa under cold water and drain. In a small saucepan, combine quinoa, 2 cups of water and salt. Bring to a steady simmer, then reduce heat, cover tightly and simmer until tender, 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest for 5 minutes before removing lid.

Meanwhile, in large bowl mix together dressing ingredients until emulsified. Add cucumber, red pepper, onion, feta and pistachios, along with mint leaves. Spoon in steaming quinoa, toss together and enjoy. Is great the next day as well!