Sunny Quinoa Salad

I love the quinoa salads found in The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook, but I decided that it was time for me to make up my own quinoa salad.  Here's how I made it:

Sunny Quinoa Salad

1 c. quinoa
1-3/4 c. water
pinch of sea salt

4 green onions, sliced
1 c. chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
1/2 red pepper diced
1-1/2 ears of corn, cooked, corn cut from the cob
1 c. canned black beans

Dressing:
1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 T extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 t. sea salt

Topping:
Raw sunflower seeds
Olive Oil
Sea salt

1. Prepare quinoa:
Rinse the dry quinoa in a fine mesh strainer under warm running water. Place quinoa in a medium sauce pan with the water and sea salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the additional ingredients (green onions, cilantro, jalapeno, red pepper, corn, and black beans). Once the oven is preheated, roast raw sunflower seeds in a cake or pie pan with a little olive oil and sea salt for about 10 minutes, stirring once. Remove pot of quinoa from the stove and let cool.

3. Once the quinoa is cool, transfer to a bowl with a lid. Add the green onions, cilantro, jalapeno, red pepper, corn, and black beans to it.

4. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a separate small bowl. Pour over the quinoa and vegetables. Toss salad together.

5. To serve, spoon salad on a plate or bowl and top with the roasted sunflower seeds. The salad can also be chilled for later use. I recommend adding the sunflower seeds right before you serve it so they don't get soggy.