This new find from the July 2010 issue of Bon Appetit is a great side dish for grilled foods and would make an excellent entrée for vegetarians. I was a little skeptical about the amount of smoked paprika, but it imparts a delicious heartiness to the salad.  If you make this, I suggest you prepare the quinoa according to the directions on the package instead of the ones below, which produced a soggy mess of quinoa porridge. When I tried again, following the directions on the package, it turned out fine.

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, be sure your Sherry vinegar has no sulfites added or substitute another type of wine vinegar. Some feta cheeses also contain artificial ingredients; I use Tre Stelle. I could not find canned chickpeas that were additive-free, so I cooked them from scratch. It’s easy to do, although it does require some advance planning. Simply soak a cup of dried chickpeas in cold water overnight, covered, in the fridge. The next day, drain the chickpeas, cover them with cold water in a saucepan and bring them to a boil. Lower the heat and cook, uncovered, until the chickpeas are tender, 75 to 90 minutes. One cup of dried chickpeas makes two cups cooked and you can freeze any you don’t use in the salad.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups quinoa (9 to 10 ounces), rinsed, drained

4 cups (packed) baby spinach leaves

2 15- to 16-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed, drained

1 3/4 cups 1/3-inch cubes unpeeled English hothouse cucumber

1 1-pint container multicolored baby heirloom tomatoes, halved (2 1/2 cups)

1 cup (packed) fresh mint leaves

1 1/2 cups coarsely crumbled feta cheese (about 7 ounces), divided

1/4 cup Sherry wine vinegar

2 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1/2 cup olive oil

Preparation:

Place quinoa in large saucepan; add enough salted water to cover quinoa by 1 inch. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until quinoa is tender, 15 to 16 minutes. Drain. Chill until cool.

Meanwhile, combine spinach leaves, garbanzos, cubed cucumber, halved tomatoes, mint leaves, and half of feta cheese in extra-large bowl. Add cooled quinoa and toss gently to blend.

Whisk vinegar and smoked paprika in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad; toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle remaining feta over. Serves 6-8.

From the July 2010 issue of Bon Appetit