BBQ Quinoa Salad

This one was all about using up the canned corn.  I started looking through what I had, had half-used, and what really needed to be pulled from the garden.  What I ended up with was a cross between a quinoa tabouli, vegetarian taco salad, and bbq chicken salad minus the chicken.  Adding a can of chicken to this is a great idea, but I was on a vegetarian slot.

I admit, the main taste in this is the bbq sauce, so pick one you like.  I used the Victorian because there was half a jar in the fridge.  There's freshness from the parsley.  I should really use it more.  There's plenty in the garden.  But it was my last green onion.  I planted a few of the seeds from the one I let bolt.  Several sprouted, but the heat wave killed most of them.  I'll plant a few more once it looks like the 85º+ temperatures are done.  It was a hugely successful experiment that has saved me a lot of money over the past year.

*1 C dry quinoa, I used tri-color
*1 14 oz can corn, drained
*1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
*2 green onions
1 dry pint grape tomatoes
1 small can (5 oz?) sliced black olives
*1/2 C BBQ sauce
*1 C shredded or 4 oz crumbled cheese of choice

1.  Rinse quinoa thoroughly and cook according to package directions.  Even if what I bought says pre-rinsed, I still rinse them again to get rid of any soap-like saponins.  Fluff grains and chill until ready to assemble salad.

2.  chop parsley leaves into manageable bits.  Finely chop the green onions.  Slice the grape tomatoes in half.

3.  To assemble, toss together the quinoa, chopped parsley and onions, and drained corn.  Transfer into a serving bowl or individual salad bowls.

4.  On top of the salad, sprinkle olives, tomato halves, and about 2 Tb barbecue sauce per serving.  Top with sprinkles of cheese and serve.

Difficulty rating  π