Quinoa Caprese Salad is a simple and fresh dish with bright, beautiful colors. I used a combination of red and white quinoa, cooked it in my rice cooker (the only way to cook quinoa), fluffed the quinoa with quality fresh mozzarella (none of that gross rubbery stuff), evoo, salt and pepper, tomatoes and basil. Do not skimp on the basil! Basil is the power ingredient in this dish. Without it the salad will not have the same crisp, clean and refreshing taste. To chop your basil, roll a couple leaves like a cigar and give the roll a few quick clean chops. This will help prevent bruising. Nobody likes brown basil. This is a great salad to make in a big batch and portion out for weekday lunches. Your co-workers will be jealous!
1 cup dry quinoa
8-10 oz fresh mozzarella
1 carton grape tomatoes, halved
A few tablespoons of fresh chopped basil
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method
1. Using a rice cooker, cook the quinoa. It comes out perfect every time! Rinse the quinoa before putting it in the rice cooker, add two cups of water, hit start and wait. You'll never cook quinoa on the stove again.
2. Cool the cooked quinoa in the refrigerator for at least an hour before preparing the salad. IMPORTANT!
3. To prepare the salad, slice grape tomatoes in half and cut the mozzarella into bite size pieces. Mix together. Then, add the chopped basil and cooked quinoa and give the salad a toss. Next, drizzle on the evoo and season with a little salt and pepper. Give your salad a final toss and serve cool or at room temperature.
