Quinoa Salad with Toasted Almonds and Roasted Tomatoes

I'm a snob.  I don't eat fresh tomatoes in the winter.  Those pinkish perfectly round orbs sitting in my grocer's produce section are closer to the texture of felt than they are tomatoes - and have ALMOST as much flavor.  BUT...  By concentrating the flavor of some hot house cherry or plum tomatoes from Mexico I can get through the winter - particularly for this quinoa salad

I like the texture of the slivered almonds - and they lose their blandness when you toast them and get a nice nutty crunch.

Ingredients:

1 cup of cooked quinoa
1/2 cup roasted tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 cup of pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
baby arugula
feta cheese (optional)

Dressing:

3 tbsp good olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 packet Splenda
salt & pepper

Whisk dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Let the cooked quinoa cool before adding ingredients.
Then mix everything together (except arugula and feta).

Plate over arugula and toss w/ the dressing.
Sprinkle feta on top.

Cook's Notes:

Salt and pepper your tomatoes and roast at 275 F  for 3 to 4 hours until shriveled but still have some life in them.  I make sheet trays full at a time and store the extras in a jar of olive oil in my refrigerator.  A great accompaniment for farro, quinoa and salads of all sort.  And the leftover oil makes and incredible salad dressing!