Red Quinoa Salad with Sesame-Honey Dressing

We've been away for almost two weeks this summer. It's been very nice and a lot of fun - but I sure haven't been cooking much. We've relied on super-quick dinners, like hot dogs, to make sure the kids would eat. Boring. And when I got home, I was craving veggies, and craving cooking.

So I saw this shared on facebook, from the often-inspiring Two Peas and their Pod. I changed some things, but pretty much went with it. We ate some meat with it - pan-fried pork - but it's a good meal in itself. You could serve it along side chicken or fish too, though... or add some avocado.. or feta cheese.. yeah - feel free to adapt as much as you want!

Red Quinoa Salad with Sesame-Honey Dressing
serves 4 (and maybe with some leftovers, too)

400 ml red quinoa (regular white is fine too - my store was out)
800 ml water
1 tsp salt
3 small carrots, coarsely grated
200 g edamame beans, shelled and cooked
200 ml cabbage, finely cut
1/2 cucumber, diced

dressing:
about 100 ml light soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp runny honey
1 tbsp sesame oil
grated ginger - about a teaspoon

Start by putting the quinoa in a strainer and rinse with cold water. Rinse really well. This is necessary to remove the bitterness from quinoa. When rinsed, place with the water (twice the amount of quinoa you're using) in a saucepan, add salt and bring to a boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes - the type of quinoa will determine the time. All the little "tails" should be released and the water pretty much absorbed. If it's soft but there's still water, just drain it.

Mix the cooked quinoa with all the veggies. Whisk together the dressing and toss with the salad. And you're done! This can be prepared well in advance, if you'd like.