you're owning me, quinoa

Quinoa might be taking over my life a little bit. And I don't mean to force this new love on anyone, but seriously, this one. This one is so good. I'd not forgive myself if I didn't share it.

I sort-of made it up, and sort-of combined a couple of other recipes to land here. It lacks a creative name, but when you eat it, you won't care.

Grilled Chicken and Cranberry Quinoa Salad
Serves 4-6

1 c. pre-washed quinoa
2 c. chicken broth
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 heaping handfuls of dried cranberries
2 heaping handfuls of golden raisins
2-3 green onions, chopped (green and white parts)
1-2 handfuls of sliced almonds
2 handfuls of crumbled blue cheese
3 oz. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling on chicken
1.5 oz. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
honey, for serving

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions. (I use chicken broth instead of water to give it a richer flavor.) Allow to cool.


2. Drizzle olive oil over chicken breasts, and season with salt and pepper. Grill until done. (Of course you can cook the chicken however you like, but I loved dicing up the grilled chicken into perfect bite-size squares.)


3. To assemble the salad, combine quinoa, chopped chicken, cranberries, raisins, green onions, almonds, and blue cheese.


4. Make the dressing by whisking (or shaking, if you have an awesome salad dressing shaker) olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. I use a 2:1 ratio here, but you can make yours however you like.


5. Drizzle salad with balsamic dressing, and toss to combine.


6. Before serving, drizzle with honey.

* I kept the salad in the fridge without the dressing, and then dressed it before I ate each serving. If you're eating for one, I think it's best to do that so the balsamic vinaigrette doesn't soak it too much and steal the show. And don't even dream of skipping the honey. It's the perfect sweet to balance the tang of your vinaigrette.

Maybe I won't share any more quinoa recipes. But I probably will.