Don’t tell Rookie, but I’ve been obsessed with corgis lately. It started when I noticed a corgi pup with its owner during my morning walk a few weeks ago. I could see the tiny barrel of brown and white fur rolling around in the grass from afar. So cute! And then I discovered the silliest – and smartest – corgi on YouTube.
I’m talking about Gatsby, made famous by his proud pop Ryen Lung, vlogger at Vlog After College. I stumbled across Ryen’s channel while searching for “corgi puppy” videos the other day and have since been watching an episode or two every night before bed. I don’t typically follow vloggers, but Jason and I aren’t getting a second dog anytime soon (who would train it while we’re both at work?), so I’ve been living vicariously through Ryen.
Gatsby’s pretty spoiled (daily trips to the park, an endless barrage of treats and new toys, plenty of quality time with his work-from-home dad), but he’ll put a smile on your face, I guarantee it. And he’s so well behaved – not like one pint-sized yorkie I know.
But what’s this have to do with quinoa salad? Well, during Episode 310, which I watched Friday evening, Ryen makes this quinoa salad – and it looks amazing. And so I decided to recreate it. And just as Ryen says, “It is soo good.”
I was initially shocked by the amount of lemon juice in the recipe, but balanced with the olive oil, it adds just the right amount of tang to the mix. And while I’m not a big fan of raw onions, diced small, they add a nice crunch to the dish. Try this quinoa salad yourself and let me know what you think!
Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com.
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 cup uncooked tricolor quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 1 large cooked chicken breast half, shredded (see notes)
- ½ large red onion, diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup chopped Kalamata olives
- ½ cup Feta cheese crumbles
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup chopped fresh chives
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- In a medium sauce pan, bring chicken broth and garlic to a boil. Add quinoa and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until broth is absorbed, 15-20 minutes. Remove garlic cloves and transfer quinoa to a large bowl. (At this point, you can discard the garlic or mash and add it back to the quinoa, which is what I did.)
- Gently fold in the chicken, onion, bell pepper, olives, Feta cheese, parsley and chives.
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and whisk until emulsified. Drizzle dressing over quinoa mixture and toss gently to combine. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
