Sunshine’s Special Quinoa

I woke up Saturday morning excited to make something for Sunshine with the organic tomatoes and purple basil that was included in my CSA box this week.  I love the creamy french feta from the Jordan market up the street, and thought it would make a nice addition to the dish.  I also wanted to incorporate wild arugula for it’s peppery bite, and use quinoa just for fun. This turned out to be a great summer salad on it’s own, or as side dish to fish or chicken.  Sunshine really liked it.

Tomato, Basil and Feta Quinoa

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 2 cups quinoa
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 bunch Italian basil
• 1 bunch purple basil
• 4 ounces wild arugula
• 6 ounces French feta, cut into cubes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Cut the tomatoes horizontally in half.  Place the tomatoes on the baking sheet, cut side up.  Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Bake for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, add 4 cups of water and 2 cups of quinoa to a medium size pot.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for 15 minutes, uncovered.

Line another baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle the pine nuts evenly on top.  Bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Add 4 tablespoons olive oil, the minced shallot and garlic and 1 bunch of basil to large saute pan.

Bring up the heat to medium and cook until the garlic is fragrant and is just starting to brown.

Add quinoa, toss to coat with shallot, garlic and basil mixture.  Add purple basil and arugula.

Add the tomatoes, pine nuts and feta and gently fold into the mixture. It’s delicious served at room temperature, or cold.