Lemon Quinoa Mediterranean Bruschetta Topping

By Green New American Vegetarian Restaurant

Editor’s Note: The red and green colors of this room-temperature topping make it a perfect addition to your holiday buffet table. Encourage your guests to squeeze lots of in-season lemon over the top (we even added some of the lemon juice to the quinoa). And don’t forget the all-important step of rinsing the quinoa before cooking to remove its bitter outer coating. Olives are in season after the late fall/early winter harvest and processing.

Photography By Elizabeth Barry | December 01, 2017

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups cold water
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup olive oil
1 celery rib, diced
1 small onion, finely minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 small tomato, seeded and chopped
2 cups fresh mixed olives, chopped (use your favorites)
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Sliced lemons for garnish
Toast points, crackers or crostini

Preparation

Combine quinoa, cold water and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, place a cover on the saucepan and cook until the liquid is fully absorbed, about 15–20 minutes.

Fluff quinoa with a fork gently and fold in celery, onion, garlic and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Move to a nice bowl.

In another bowl, combine chopped olives, tomato, parsley and red pepper flakes and top the quinoa with this mixture. Garnish with lemons and serve with your chosen dipper.