Crunchy Quinoa Salad

Hey, high school friends (and anyone else that reads this blog)! I'm finally back home from vacation, so I'll start by posting one of my favorite recipes! I received this recipe from a work friend and it has become a staple for our family this spring and summer. I keep it in the fridge and it makes for a good lunch or a side dish for dinner. I am trying to add more diverse whole grains into our diets, and quinoa is a good one because it also has a significant amount of protein (which is great for my 2 year-old vegetarian). To read more about the healthy benefits of quinoa go here.

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked quinoa (yields 2 cups cooked)
1 Tbsp sunflower oil (I have replaced this with other oils... canola, olive)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1 bunch scallions sliced (I usually leave this out if making just for my family)
1 cup raisins

Directions

Cook quinoa: First rinse the grains in a fine mesh strainer. Cook like rice on the stove top (1 part quinoa, 2 parts water), bringing water to a boil and then turning down to a simmer and covering. Should be cooked in approximately 15 minutes, but check. Or you can throw it all in a rice cooker, like I do!

Once quinoa is cooked you might want to let it cool a little. Mix all of the ingredients together and enjoy! (Sometimes the smell of the apple cider vinegar is a little over-powering, but oddly enough the taste has never been too strong for me... maybe it is my over-active olfactory system!)