i've said it like...10 times before. i'm no whiz in the kitchen. 

i mean...i can put stuff in a crockpot and frost a cake, but meal planning is not my strong suit. 

however...one day, a few years ago, i was in our single wide trailer wondering what to do with some cucumbers and tomatoes. handily, i was also still on my "healthy eating" kick.

times have changed. no more single wide trailer. no more healthy eating. anyway...

that's when i came up with my alternative to pasta salad.

i've never been a huge fan of pasta salad, so knowing that i have this recipe in my back pocket as an alternative makes me happy. 

FARM FOOD | SUMMER QUINOA SALAD

ingredients list:
  • 1 cup dry quinoa
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)...you can do more
  • 1 cup diced cucumber
  • 3/4 cup crumbled feta
  • garlic salt to taste
1 | first you're going to want to get your quinoa cooking. to give the quinoa better flavor i like to cook mine in 1/2 chicken stock, 1/2 water. always use two parts liquid to your one part dry quinoa. so in this case: 1 cup water, 1 cup chicken stock, 1 cup dry quinoa. bring that to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low so it still has some good bubbles going. you'll know the quinoa is finished when all the liquid has mostly boiled down. your quinoa will also have practically tripled in size. 
2 | while your quinoa is cooking, slice your tomatoes and cucumbers. once your quinoa is finished, transfer it to a large bowl (my recipe makes nearly 8 cups), then add the garlic salt, tomatoes, feta, and cucumbers.

snap a pretty picture because the colors are yummy.

3 | now stir stir stir until all ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the quinoa. you'll want to place this in the fridge for several hours before serving so it's nice and chilled.

before serving, give it one last stir. if you feel like the quinoa has dried out a little, just add a splash of chicken stock for added flavor and moisture.
there you have it! a super healthy, simple alternative to pasta salad! enjoy!