My parents are coming over for dinner tonight. I have a reputation, among my father anyway, of being a good cook. So whenever Dad comes over, I feel obligated to make something nice for him. The one requirement: It must be gluten-free.

In my summer quest to try new foods, I've discovered quinoa (pronounce keen-wa). It's a whole grain and complete protein. I wasn't quite sure what to do with it, so I did a google search, checked out some recipes and came up with my own toasted quinoa salad.

Put 1 cup of quinoa grains (I used Ancient Harvest brand, because it's prewashed) into a medium saucepan and dry roast on medium-high for a few minutes until you hear grains start to pop. (I shook the pan a few times to pop as many grains as I could without burning it. I find this gives the quinoa a nice toasty flavor). Add 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt (you can use chicken or veggie broth instead to add more flavor). Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and cook until water is absorbed.

Let the quinoa cool, and add diced veggies. I used carrots, onion, red pepper and tomatoes. Dress with a vinegrette dressing (I made a nice lemon-basil vinegrette) and add toasted pine nuts, if desired.

I really enjoyed the practice batch I made. However, I must have enjoyed it too much, because it wasn't as blood-sugar friendly as I expected it to be.