quinoa pilaf w/ sun dried tomatos

Quinoa is an incredible, delicate, light grain with a delightful flavor. This wonderful food packs some serious nutrition and was one of the main crops of the Incan empire.
I like using the 2 different colored quinoa for presentation but they taste pretty much identical.

First prepare the grain by placing the following in a saucepan
1/2 cup yellow quinoa
1/2 cup red quinoa
8 sun dried tomato halves
2 1/4 cups water
1 tsp sea salt

bring to simmer, cover, lower heat and let it steam over low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, let sit 10 minutes before uncovering.
OR prepare in a rice cooker (my preferred method)

While quinoa is cooking, prepare the following and place in a bowl
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup cucumber, finely chopped
2 small cloves garlic, finely minced
a few black olives, chopped
1 small carrot, shredded
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 fresh tbsp lemon juice (if you have meyer lemons, use them!)
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper


Add the cooked quinoa. Chop the sun dried tomatoes that cooked with the quinoa.
Add lemon juice and salt to taste

Stir gently and stir as little as possible. General rule: stir grains and pasta very little to ensure the best texture