Chilled Quinoa Salad with Grilled Summer Vegetables

I love when summer squash, zucchini and patty pan squash start turning up at the Farmer’s Market. They’re so much sweeter and more flavorful than their grocery store counterparts and you can usually find a few little tiny guys that are just so beautiful.  Have I mentioned I love miniature produce?  Yes, well, there is something about a tiny zucchini that is just so much more fun than a big one.

Recently one of Ross’s old co-workers emailed him asking if I had any quinoa recipes. Well, if that doesn’t sound like I challenge I don’t know what is! I didn’t have any recipes, thank you very much, but I do now!  Since it is still quite warm out, the idea of a chilled salad sounded appealing.  I also love grilled vegetable and chickpeas, and thus this salad was born! Topped with a bit of fresh chopped parsley and feta, this a simple and nutritious supper.  What’s more, it can easily be veganized by omitting the feta (maybe add a couple calamata olives for a salty bite!).

Note: Since the vegetables are on the smaller side, it works better if you have a grill basket of some sort. The smaller grates help to prevent too many rogue veggies from jumping overboard.

Chilled Quinoa Salad with Grilled Summer Vegetables
Serves two dinner sized portions, or four as a side dish

Ingredients
Assorted summer squash, zucchini, onion, etc. (whatever you like). However many you want, leftovers are yummy.
2/3 cup of dry quinoa
1/2 cup of prepared chickpeas. I used canned (rinsed).
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice (1/2 of a lemon)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
1/4 tsp. kosher or sea salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
dash of black pepper

1.) Early on the day you want to make the dish, or the night before, soak the quinoa for about ten minutes, “scrubbing” the grains and swishing the water with your hands a few times.
2.) Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainers and then pour into a pot. Add 1 and 1/3 cup of water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 12-15 minutes or until the water is gone. Set in the fridge to chill.
3.) In a medium sized mixing bowl gently combine the cooled quinoa, chickpeas, most of the chopped parsley (reserving a bit for topping), and the feta.
4.) In a small bowl stir together the mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, garlic powder and pepper.
6.) Meanwhile, turn on the grill to medium heat.
7.) Chop the vegetables into bite sized pieces. Lay them out on the grill tray / basket and spray with cooking spray, sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.
8.) Grill the vegetables until slightly charred and tender, about ten minutes.
9.) Combine the quinoa mixture with the sauce. Plate the quinoa for each serving and top with the grilled vegetables. Sprinkle a bit of parsley over. Eat!