Quinoa... Hit or Miss

I've been on the search for good Quinoa recipes.  With the recipes I have tried so far, it has been hit or miss.  I'm still not sure how I feel about Quinoa, or maybe I'm just not making the right recipes.  I'm not really sure.  Thankfully, my go-to blogger (Iowa Girl Eats) loves Quinoa and seems to cook it at least once a week.  Many of her recipes look yummy, though I'm always hesitant to make any because I'm just not sure about Quinoa still.  Also, I buy groceries on weekends only and seem to forget about the quinoa recipes.

Well, I decided to make a Quinoa Salad with Kiwi and Mango.  (That is a direct link to the recipe.)  It was really easy to make, though it took quite some time to chop the kiwi, mango, and tomatoes.  But that didn't take more than 20 minutes?  It probably took the same amount of time as it took the Quinoa to cook.  Let's be honest, I don't make anything that is too time consuming.

Anyway, it's super easy.  While your quinoa is simmering, chop up some kiwi, mango, tomatoes.  Mix the cooked quinoa with the fruits and veggies.  I even went all out and made my own Lime Ginger Vinaigrette.  I did leave out the Ginger... not sure why, but ginger freaks me out.  The dressing was still tasty and didn't seem to be missing anything.  I had never made my own dressing, so I was pretty excited about it.  It wasn't too sweet and overpowering.  It was just right!

Best part.... it made leftovers for the rest of the week.  There is enough protein in quinoa that it fills be up at lunch.  I made this awhile ago. I'm thinking I'm going to have to make another batch soon!

In other topics, we have been dog sitting for the last week while my parents have been in Mexico.  I'd say Buddy is pretty comfortable and happy here.  But he misses his people!