Quinoa and Avocado Salad

My husband, with little input from me, concocted this while we were pondering what to do with the over 2 pounds of quinoa we had purchased at the grocery store- it was on sale and we've been eating it in place of rice lately. This can serve --3 as a meal in its self and probably 6 or so all mixed up as a side dish. Add diced tomatoes if wanted or replace the chicken with salmon. Prep time is all inclusive of the cooking of quinoa and chopping. No idea how long it would take for the quinoa to cool, so its not included. Quinoa could be made the day before then refrigerated. Defiantly vegetarian with out the chicken, maybe vegan but I can't remember all the qualifications.

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 3-6

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups quinoa
• 3  cups water
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 2 (4 ounce) cans chicken meat, drained (leave out for vegetarian option) or 2  chicken breasts (leave out for vegetarian option)
• 3  small avocados
• 1⁄2 bunch fresh cilantro
• 2  limes, juice of
•  olive oil
•  salt

Directions

1. Rinse quinoa, do not skip this step.
2. If you have the time and patience toast the quinoa before putting into the water. This can be done in the over, or on the stove in a pan. I prefer the pan method.
3. Bring water to a boil.
4. Add quinoa to boiling water with garlic, a pinch of salt and a little olive oil. Allow to simmer until done.
5. Finely chop cilantro.
6. Dice avocado into small pieces- smaller than bite size.
7. Shred the chicken, mix with the cilantro and avocado in a large bowl.
8. Juice limes adding some of the juice to the quinoa while cooking and some to the cilantro/avocado/chicken mixture. (This will also help the avocados from turning brown).
9. When the quinoa is finished cooking (All water should have been absorbed or cooked off) either cool in the refrigerator or serve with avocado and chicken mixture. We were hungry and didn't want to wait for the quinoa to cool so we had it side by side.
10. Drizzle remaining lime juice and a little olive oil over top of the salad. Adding a little salsa over top is also tasty.