LiveSTRONG with Mango and Quinoa Salad

I saw this recipe in a New York Times article (April 16, 2008 in the Dining and Wine section) and could not wait to try it out my way, especially since I like both the key ingredients, quinoa and mango. I was first introduced to Quinoa, about three years ago when I was in Peru. I really liked it and am so happy that quinoa is all the rage now and easily available. Mango, well mango I have loved all my life. Mangoes are a huge part of life in India, and you get many different kinds, each with its own distinct size, flavor and texture. However, I live in New York city so I settled for a Costa Rican mango which was yummy as well!

I am submitting this dish to Winos and Foodies who are hosting LiveSTRONG with a Taste of Yellow - 2008, check it out.

http://winosandfoodies.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/02/post.html

I thought this was a great way to raise awareness and create solidarity for all those affected by cancer in some way or another. This one goes out especially to a family friend who is battling cancer at the moment.

I made a few changes to the orginal recipe. I added more mango than the original recipe asked for and I used dried basil leaves instead of fresh ones. I loved how this came out and I think would be great for a picnic or even a side dish for a barbecue. Yay summer is almost here!

This is how I made this dish.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of quinoa
1 ripe, yet firm mango
1 small jalapeno, finely chopped (I used about a 1 1/2 inch piece of the pepper you see in the picture. Not sure what kind it is but it was pretty hot!)
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and freshly crushed black pepper
juice of half a lime
a hand full of cilantro finely chopped.
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

Method:

Rinse quinoa 3 or 4 times, this apparently gets the bitterness out. Cook quinoa in about 3 cups of water (less if you want it crunchy) and then cool for 5 minutes. While quinoa is cooling, peel and chop mango into smallish chunks. Toss mango with olive oil, lime juice and jalapeno. Next mix in the quinoa, season with salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning according to taste. Add in cilantro and mix. Serve at room temperature.