Warm Quinoa Salad with Bacon

Technically, this dish is not paleo friendly since it's main ingredient is Quinoa, which is a grain.  If you are going super-strict paleo you are not to have any grains at all, even though Quinoa is gluten-free.  For our 30-Day Challenge, we made a choice to keep this super-healthy grain in our diet.

I found this to be a fairly quick and easy dish to make that would be good as a chilled lunch left-over as well.

Ingredients:
12 oz of Bacon, cooked and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Cup Uncooked Quinoa, cooked according to package directions
1 Medium Red Onion, roughly chopped
2 Cups Zucchini, quartered then cut crosswise
2 Cups Grape Tomatoes, halved
1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Garlic, finely minced (about 2-3 garlic cloves)
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
Goat Cheese or Pecorino Romano shavings (optional)

1) Cook 1 cup of Quinoa in 2 cups of water in a small stock pot by bringing the water to a boil then to a simmer for 10-15 minutes.  It is recommended to rinse the Quinoa grain prior to cooking.  Once the grain is cooked, set aside in a serving bowl.

2) Add the Olive Oil, onion, zucchini, and tomatoes in a medium stock pot and cook on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to break down.  Once the tomatoes have broken down, add in the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.

This is what is looks like after about 15 minutes of cooking.  The tomatoes have broken down and
have created a rustic sauce for the Quinoa.

3) Add the vegetable mixture and the bacon to the Quinoa and incorporate well.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.  Add some goat cheese or pecorino romano to the top for an added layer of flavor.