Building the Salad

1)  To begin, rinse the quinoa with cold water.

2)  In a medium-sized sauce pan add 2T unsalted butter over medium heat. Toss in quinoa to parch, lightly coating quinoa with butter while toasting a bit in the pan.

3)  Once a nutty aroma arises, toss in the chicken stock, thyme, bay leaf and salt to taste.

4)  Bring stock to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover with a lid, eschewed to allow some steam to escape.

5)  Cook for about 25 minutes until grains display a threadlike spiral and all moisture has been removed from pot. Remove from heat, chill and reserve.

6)  In a large mixing bowl add the spinach, arugula, Los Altos Queso Fresco, parsley, sliced cremini mushrooms and julienned shallots. When the quinoa has cooled, add that to mix as well. Toss to mix. Garnish with pine nuts.

Cotija Dressing

1)  To make the dressing, smash to a pulp the garlic cloves using the back of a chef’s knife and toss into a medium bowl.

2)  Add the Los Altos Jocoque, Los Altos Queso Cotija Molido, lemon juice, sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, and olive oil; mix