Turkish Style Quinoa Salad

This recipe is my invention derived from two traditional cold Turkish dishes, “Kısır” and “Lentil Balls.” I have came up with this recipe when I wanted to cook “Kısır.” Kısır is usually made with fine bulgur.  Because my husband does not like bulgur I replaced it with quinoa.  Kısır is made with raw onion and he does not like raw onions either.  Therefore, I used onions adapting from lentil balls recipe (I will be adding the lentil balls recipe in the future).

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of quinoa
• 1 middle-sized yellow onion
• 1/2 bouquet of parsley
• 1/2 bouquet of fresh mint
• 4-6 scallions
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 2 table spoons of tomato paste
• 2 tables spoons of pepper paste (can be replaced with more tomato paste, and crashed red peppers or chili powder)
• 1 lemon juice
• 2 1/2 cups of water
• Salt, pepper, and crashed red peppers to taste (turkish style crashed red peppers if available)

Directions:

1. Cook the quiona with the water in a pressure cooker for 6 min.  You can cook them in a regular pot too. You don’t want them to get mushy.  After cooked, take it to a large bowl while it’s still hot. 
2. Dice the onion and sauté it in olive oil until light pink.  Then add the tomato and pepper paste.  Stir and cook for couple more minutes. 
3. Put this mixture with quinoa.  Add salt and mix them while still hot.
4. Wash the parsley and mint, and mince.
5. Wash the scallions and chop them with the leaves.
6. Chop the garlic.
7. Put the parsley, mint, scallions, garlic into the bowl.
8. Add the lemon juice, pepper, crashed red peppers, and salt. 
9. Mix and serve!

Tips:

1. You can replace quinoa with bulgur.
2. Add olive oil or lemon if you think it’s dry.
3. You can add the onions raw.  In that case you can either add the tomato/pepper paste while cooking the bulgur/ quinoa, or right after you cook it and when it i hot.  Or you can simply cook the paste itself.
4. There are many variations in how people cook Kısır.  I usually do not prefer, but you can also add fresh diced tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, or banana/anaheim peppers.
5. Serving your taste, you can simply increase the amount of lemon, salt, spice, etc.