Quinoa "Salad"

    Quinoa is a trendy grain!  Yes, a trendy grain.  Health nuts have gone wild about it in the last year.  It is fairly filling, and when cooked, it is about the size of cous-cous pasta, with a texture similar to brown rice.  It's low in fat and gluten-free!  And it's light enough to be a wonderful summer meal.  Here's how I enjoy this trendy grain.  Tip: buy pre-washed quinoa!  Washing it is a major pain.

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup lemon juice
2-3 cloves of garlic, pealed
Salt, to taste
1 tablespoon of honey
1 chicken breast, grilled
Chopped bell peppers, asparagus, green beans, red onions, or other vegetables, to taste
Foil

Directions:
    Heat the oven to 250 degrees.  In an oven safe dish, bake your quinoa for one minute.  Stir in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and bake for another 8 minutes.  Meanwhile, place the garlic and a pinch of salt in a packet of foil.  Add the chicken broth to your quinoa, and cover with foil.  Bake the quinoa and packet of garlic, olive oil and salt for 25 minutes.
   While your quinoa is baking, chop the vegetables and chicken, and measure out the honey, lemon juice and the rest of the olive oil.  After 25 minutes, take the quinoa and garlic out of the oven.  While the quinoa cools, blend the garlic/olive oil/salt packet with the honey, lemon juice and olive oil.  Finally, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.  Ta-da!  Trendy grains!

   I usually use yellow and red bell peppers, and red onions in my salad.  I'm also generous with the chicken broth: the more broth you use, the softer your quinoa will be.  Give trendy grains a try!