Tasty and Colorful

Last nights dinner was tasty and colorful, two of my favorite food attributes. We dined on spring rolls and quinoa salad (pronounced keen-wa). Both items are simple, although the spring rolls do take a bit of time because of the chopping and rolling. Here's what I do for each.

I prepare the quinoa salad first because I like for it to be chilled. However it can be served warm or at room temperature. The recipe is as follows:

1 C quinoa
1/3 C red wine vinegar
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 C chopped cucumber
1/4 C sliced kalamata olives
1/4 C chopped red onion
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley

Cook quinoa (1 C quinoa in 2 C water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes.

Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil and garlic. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine peppers, cucumber, olives, onion, and parsley. Mix well. Add dressing and toss to coat. Add quinoa, stir gently to combine. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.

Spring Rolls
I do not have an exact recipe for these. I think there used to be one, but I've been making them for many years without one. Here are the ingredients:

chopped cabbage, chopped carrots, chopped radishes ( I do all of these in the food processor)
chopped green onion, chopped tomatoes
chopped mushrooms, soaked about 5 minutes in Bragg liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
guacamole or hummus
spring roll wrappers ( the kind you soak in water, not cook)

Here's what I do: fill a large bowl about half full with water. Place one spring roll wrapper in the water about 15 seconds. Remove from water and place on a cutting board. Begin by putting a couple of tablespoons of guacamole or hummus in the center of the wrapper. Next, put 1/4C cabbage in center in a narrow mound. Add a small amount of carrots on one side, radishes on the other. Place a tablespoon of mushrooms on cabbage, followed by a small amount of tomatoes and green onions. It should look like this.

Roll like a burrito and enjoy!

Our complete meal.