Chicken Quinoa Salad

So I said I would post a few random topics on my blog. I figured I'd start with a recipe I recently tried out. Let me preface this by saying that my husband is a self-proclaimed creature of habit and is not very adventurous when it comes to trying out new foods. He would also live on sugar rich cereal, grilled cheese, pizza & Coca-Cola if left to his own devices. Perhaps the most healthy alternative being a Subway sandwich. The man thinks adding fresh garlic to pasta sauce is stretching the boundries of gourmet cooking, haha!

It has become my goal to try to find healthy foods that he actually likes. Right now the meal of choice is roasted vegetables which he happily eats (and prepares!) at least once or twice a week. I was hoping he'd like this new recipe. While he did gamely eat a couple of helpings, it wasn't a huge hit with him, though I give him credit for at least trying it. I'm posting this recipe because I really liked it. And I want to try to find healthier, yet delicious, meal options for us especially as Shay starts eating solids.

Chicken Quinoa Salad
(Recipe adapted from Whole Foods)
*Sorry, no pretty picture of the finished salad...you'll have to use your imagination

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/3 cups quinoa
3 T. apple cider vinegar
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Meat of 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 cup green grapes, quartered
1/2 cup slivered almonds
fat free feta cheese crumbles to taste

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread slivered almonds in single layer on baking sheet and toast until light to golden brown, Cool. Rinse quinoa under cold running water and drain. Bring chicken stock to a boil. Stir in quinoa and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Uncover and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, salt & pepper. Slowly add oil, whisking well. Add quinoa and toss to combine. Stir in chicken, grapes, almonds & feta cheese. Serve at room temp or chilled.

NOTE: The Whole Foods recipe called for water but I had chicken stock on hand and thought it added great flavor. It also called for white wine vinegar but I prefer the taste of apple cider vinegar in most salads. I used less grapes but that is just a matter of preference. The original recipe listed less vinegar and oil but I found that the quinoa absorbed it all so fast that I added a little more in. I also think that the slivered almonds held up better in the salad than sliced which tend to get soggy faster.  The feta cheese was also an addition on my part.