Spicy Quinoa Salad with Yellow Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumber and Feta

Over the past few weeks I’ve been compulsively checking the grocery stores for yellow tomatoes, and was ecstatic when there was this overflowing pint of super sweet yellow cherry tomatoes at the co-op earlier this week. Yellow tomatoes are a little mellower than the red varieties, and at their best are almost like a berry.

Spicy Quinoa Salad with Yellow Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumber and Feta
Adapted from The New York Times. Serves 6.

The New York Times featured this tasty summer salad recipe a few weeks ago, and I’ve adapted a bit to my liking. The cilantro that they specified in the original recipe would have been nice as well, but there is a pot full of Italian parsley on my porch and it seemed a little less salsa-esque. Mincing the red onions into minuscule pieces is recommended in an effort to avoid any overly powerful onion bites. I’ve reduced the herby quantities a bit, and considered either doubling the lime or swapping it out for lemon for another variation. The original recipe produced disappointing soggy quinoa, so the water quantity and technique has been changed.

1 c quinoa
2 c water
Salt to taste
1 large cucumber, peeled & diced
1 Tb red onion, minced
2 c yellow cherry tomatoes cut in half (or any chopped tomatoes)
1-2 jalapeño or Serrano pepper, finely chopped
2 Tb Italian parsley, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tb sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
3 Tb olive oil
1 avocado, sliced, for garnish
¼ c feta (or any salty crumbly cheese)

1. Bring 2 c water to boil, add about ½-1 tsp of salt and the quinoa. Bring back to a boil briefly, then reduce to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool. If you are hungry and would like to eat now, rinse the quinoa in cold water. I did this in batches in my little mesh strainer—rinsing until the quinoa was cold, squeezing out excess water, and transferring to a bowl.

2. Meanwhile, taste your cucumber, and if it’s a bit bitter or otherwise imperfect, sprinkle with salt and allow to drain in a colander. Rinse after about fifteen minutes and squeeze out any excess water. I feel like this makes the cucumber less crunchy, so normally skip this step except in the case of imperfect cucumber.

3. Combine cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, chilies, parsley, vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, and part of the feta. Add the quinoa, toss together. Sprinkle with remaining feta and garnish with avocado slices. Optionally, chill for a few hours before adding the avocado slices to let the flavors marinate and the spiciness develop.