Quinoa is worth trying — if you haven’t already. It’s high in protein, fast-cooking, and its feather-weight grains are a natural basis for light and nutritious salads. Its neutral flavor is universally appealing and marries well with all sorts of vegetables and herbs. Try tossing in diced cucumber, tomato or stone-fruits when summer harvest arrives.

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa (any variety, or a mix)
Extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 cup mixed chopped herbs or greens (such as cilantro, parsley, arugula, spinach, basil)
One lemon
1/2 cup roughly chopped, shelled pistachios
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method:
1. Rinse quinoa several times before using to remove the outer coating which can be bitter tasting. Cook according to package directions (mine called for bringing to a boil with 1-1/4 cups water, then covering and simmering at low heat for 15 minutes. Then allowing the pan to stand for 5 minutes, before removing the cover and fluffing quinoa with a fork) then cool fully.
2.Meanwhile heat one tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook yellow onion until very soft and light brown. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Place in a serving bowl.
3.Add celery, green onion and herbs to bowl, as well as cooled quinoa. Zest the lemon and juice half of it. Place zest and juice in the serving bowl, with 3 tablespoons olive oil, nuts and salt and pepper to taste. Stir ingredients to combine.