Curried Quinoa with Mango and Cucumber

I've hopped on the quinoa bandwagon and I'm quite glad I did. I'm not going to lie, it's quite yummy.

Recipe adapted from Moderate Oven Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone Five Days in the Life of Curried Quinoa Salad

This salad can be made in advance and keeps very well, but you should dress it at the time the quinoa is cooked. The grains take in more of the flavor from the vinaigrette when warm and slightly moist. If you want to prepare this dish with leftover, already cooked quinoa, simply steam the grains to refresh.

INGREDIENTS
½ teaspoon salt
1 ⅓ cups quinoa, rinsed thoroughly
2 garlic cloves, pressed
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup plain yogurt
3 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala (can sub an extra teaspoon of curry powder)
the juice of one lemon
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped mint (recipe calls for cilantro)
2-3 teaspoons red wine vinegar, optional
2 large mangoes, peeled and diced - (1 16 oz bag of frozen mango)
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
2 small or 1 large jalapeno, seeded and diced (1/2 jalapeno) - I could leave it out all together, honestly
1/2 tsp chives 5 scallions, including 1 inch of the greens, thinly sliced
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained - a must!

DIRECTIONS
To cook the quinoa, bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan then add the salt and rinsed quinoa. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the quinoa is tender. There will be excess water in this method of cooking. Drain the quinoa well.

While the quinoa cooks, prepare the dressing. In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, salt, yogurt, curry powder, and lemon juice. Whisk in the olive oil and let the dressing sit for 15 minutes to develop the flavors. Stir in the cilantro and taste. If not tart enough, add the optional white wine vinegar. Salt and pepper as needed.

In a large bowl, toss the still-warm quinoa with the mango, cucumber, jalapeno, scallions, and chickpeas. Add the dressing and fold gently until well combined. Salt and pepper to taste.