Quinoa ‘tous-qui’ salad

During an impromptu dinner party in Montreal a few years ago I learned an interesting French slang, «tous-qui». It’s a portion of «tout ce qui reste» which I was told kinda translates into “all that remains.” Thrown into a cooking context you get good ol’ leftovers.

But doesn’t it just sound better in French? Seriously, compare your friends’ expressions when offering them leftover soup vs. tous-qui soup. Better still, switch the word order to Soupe Tous-qui and add another star to your ratings. Exotique! Cinque étoiles! Just like being in the south of France.

So how about the post then?

One night I wanted to make quinoa salad so I looked into the fridge for things to add. Quinoa is somewhat tasteless on its own but you can add just about anything to make a great dish. For anyone who doesn’t know, quinoa is a seed though most people think it’s a grain. The plant has been considered a super food for millennia because it can survive such harsh climates (this is what I learned online). A single serving is loaded with all eight essential amino acids as well as high doses of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals.

For this salad, the quantities don’t matter, which is a big benefit of tous-qui cooking. In fact, I’ll skip the specifics and just list the ingredients that I have used.

Quinoa ‘tous-qui’ salad

1. 1 cup quinoa to 1 1/2 cups liquid (cold water but stock preferred)
2. 1/2 tsp salt
3. Soak the quinoa for 5 min in the cooking pot with no heat then rinse with your hand. Pour off the rinsing water using a fine mesh strainer. This helps the quinoa cook evenly.
4. Add the quinoa, liquid and salt to the pot and bring to a boil.
5. Cover pot, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Keeping the lid on, remove quinoa from heat and let it sit five minutes.
7. Pour out quinoa on to a tray and gently fluff with a fork.
8. Once the quinoa has cooled place it into a large and bowl and add:

• Roasted vegetables: onions, zucchini,  garlic, garlic scapes, red peppers, green onions, beets (cut into 1/2” dice)
• Green olives (pitted)
• Feta Cheese (cut into 1/2” dice)
• Tomato (cut into 1/2” dice)
• Snow Peas
• Herbs: Parsley, Watercress, Basil
• Cucumber
• Baby Spinach
• Pine Nuts
• Olive Oil
• Lemon juice and minced zest

Tous-qui meals are one of my favourite ways to cook. It clears out the fridge and lets me try out new food combinations. Try applying the concept to soups, bread and salads. Dig through your fridge, do some chopping and off you go. What’s not to like?