Quinoa à la Waldorf Salad

Quinoa, ( pronounced keen-wa) a grain that comes from South America is considered the  "Supergrain of the Future" as it contains more protein than any other grains, and is a balanced source of other nutrients. It is also gluten free and easy to digest. It is great in salads and  has a delicious nutty flavour . 
With quinoa as my canvas, I concocted  quite a tasty summer salad, which after some thought, reminded of the original Waldorf salad. 


( photos of quinoa plants from Wikipedia)

Quinoa greens

Quinoa before flowering

Quinoa in flower

Harvested quinoa seeds

Quinoa à la Waldorf  Salad

Quinoa Salad
2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 red onion
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon honey mustard
1/2 cup light olive oil
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Lebanese cucumbers chopped
1 apple peeled and chopped
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In a pot pour in 2 cups of cold water and add 1 cup of quinoa.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, until all the water is absorbed.  While the quinoa is cooking, macerate the red onion  in the cider vinegar and sugar.  Transfer the the onions and vinegar to a large bowl, and whisk in the honey, mustard, lime juice,salt, and oil.  Add the chopped celery and apple.  Toss in the cooked quinoa and the pecans.