chilled quinoa salad with roasted veggies

Who said leftovers are passed over?

I hosted a potluck last night and prepared roasted brussels sprouts and local asparagus (first of the season).  The theme of the potluck was Food52 How to Make Mozzarella and, as an official host site, I was sent 2 bottles of California Olive Ranch Olive Oil.   We enjoyed tasting each oil following the swirl, sniff, and sip tips shared on their website.

So, here are my leftovers. Aren’t they pretty and guess what?  shhh it’s vegetarian… ooohhh and gluten free.

Here is just a quick idea for using extra quinoa and roasted brussels sprouts (or any other veggie).  This is a simple chilled recipe.  I did not bother with a heavy, artificial dressing from a bottle…instead the CA olive oil, a squeeze of meyer lemon, salt and freshly cracked pepper.

When cooking quinoa, it is as simple as these 4 steps

1. bring 2 cups of water/broth to a boil (add herbs to the water/broth to season without using salt)
2. add 1 cup of quinoa
3. cover, reduce to simmer for 15 minutes
4. remove from head, take off the lid, fluff with a fork and BAM… quinoa
5. I like to let it breath for a bit before serving so the grains seperate