Quinoa Salad with Red Bell Pepper and Cilantro
Recipe from America's Test Kitchen's Healthy Family America's Test Kitchen 2010

Quinoa (pronounce keen-wah) is the seed of the Goosefoot plant. It cooks much like a grain and has a fantastic nutty flavor, with a little bit of a crunch (due to its seed nature). It's also healthy. To make this dish spicier, add the chile seeds from the jalapeño.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and dried on a towel
1½ cups water
Salt and pepper
½ red bell pepper, seeded and chopped fine
½ jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin

Toast quinoa in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until lightly toasted and aromatic, about 5 minutes. Stir in water and ¼ teaspoon salt; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until quinoa has absorbed most of the water and is nearly tender, 12 minutes. (Any remaining water will evaporate as the quinoa cools.) Spread quinoa in a rimmed baking sheet and set aside until tender and cool, 20 minutes.
Transfer quinoa to a large bowl. Stir in the bell pepper, jalapeño, onion and cilantro.

In a separate bowl, whisk the lime juice, oil, mustard, garlic and cumin. Pour over quinoa and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Or refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2 days; season with salt, pepper and lime juice to taste before serving.

Serves 4