quinoa salad with vegetables & poached egg

Author Notes

i was on my own for lunch on saturday and had a whole heaping of fun food from the greenmarket. a while back, i had also picked up interesting grains like farro and quinoa from the 4th street co-op. the great thing about quinoa, or any grain, is it’s versatility. quinoa, for instance, makes a great breakfast or even dessert if made with milk, cinnamon, and dried fruit. cook it with some seaweed, avocado, cucumber, and soy sauce, and it’s asian-inspired. add loads and loads of fresh herbs, like i did here, top it with a poached egg, and voila! a nutritional powerhouse that’s as tasty as it is easy and healthy.

recall that i only started eating eggs again about a year and a half ago {after a years and years of veganism}, and while i have enjoyed my share of homemade omelets and scrambles, the poached egg - by far the healthiest version as no fat is needed for cooking - remained an elusive and slightly intimidating enigma.

for one, i can never get it together to buy the type of vinegar needed for the cooking. second, the image in my head of the scene in julie & julia where they try to poach an egg freaks me out. however, i did finally come across directions that made it all a little less daunting. not eating out in new york had a good, easily-followed method, which worked beautifully, even without that darned vinegar. —nadiact