This is a light meal perfect for mid-week. The quinoa is light and delicate in contrast with the bread. If the tomatoes are sweet and juicy enough you may not need as much dressing to perk them up. Leave the salad to sit a little so the bread croutons soften up – unless you want them crunchy.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1/3 cup quinoa
3 slices of Zaida Bakery San Fransisco Sourdough bread
4 tbp olive oil, plus extra to brush the bread
2 tomatoes, cut into roughly 2cm dice
½ telegraph cucumber, cut into roughly 2 cm dice
½ small red onion , thinly sliced
1 tbp chopped mint
2 tbp chopped Italian Parsley
Juice from 1 lemon
¾ tsp balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt & pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Cook the quinoa according to packet instructions (place quinoa in a 2/3 cup water and bring to boil, simmer for another 10 minutes or until tender).
2. Brush the bread with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with some salt. Lay the slices on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, turning them over halfway. The bread should be completely dry and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down, then break by hand into different sized pieces.
3. Put the diced tomatoes and cucumber in a mixing bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients, including the quinoa and croutons, and stir gently until everything is mixed well together. Season with salt & pepper.