Greek Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is a staple in our house. It is such a versatile ingredient that can be used as a filler in a black bean burger, a beautiful side dish, or even featured as the star of the plate. Serve it hot or cold, on a salad, in a wrap, or eat it right from the bowl. My favorite way to enjoy quinoa is as a quinoa salad. I make two different types, Greek and southwest style, which make a great go-to snack, quickly made lunch or even a tasty dish to take to someone’s house. Two different flavor profiles but equally as delicious.

Greek quinoa salad is my favorite to pile in a bowl and eat right from the fridge. The crunch of the cucumber, sweetness of the tomatoes, savory kalamata olives, and a slight kick from the onions, makes the perfect bite; then add the herbs from the Greek dressing as another layer and transport to a small Greek town along the coast. Top the bowl with a little feta cheese for some creaminess, and your tastebuds will be dancing.

Top the Greek quinoa salad with some grilled shrimp as a wonderful addition. You can complete the plating by adding bib lettuce to the base of your dish, quinoa salad in the middle, and topped with the grilled shrimp (grilled chicken is a great option). There are many options for such a simple and flavorful dish. It is easy to make it your own, create different versions, and a healthy filling meal you can feel great about indulging in any time of the day. This dish is also a great way to get the kids involved with cooking. Its easy for them to help mix the ingridents and spoon into a bowl or onto a plate.

The fresh vegetable makes this dish a summer delight and gives me another excuse to visit the local farmers market. When making this dish, I tend to use grape or cherry tomatoes. There is less cutting involved, and I like the sweetness they bring to the plate. Another favorite of mine is the English cucumber. Although a regular cucumber will work, there is less prep with an Enligh cucumber because you do not have to deseed one. A regular cucumber will need to scraped the seeds out before dicing and adding to the salad so the salad will not seem watered down.

My other favorite, the flavor maker, is Primal Kitchen Greek dressing. This dressing has such a rich flavor, and a little goes a long way. It is very food allergy-friendly and is sugar-free. I also like that it does not have dairy. If dairy does not both you and your local store does not have Primal Kitchen, Ken’s Simply Vinegarette Greek dressing is an excellent choice with the same amount of flavor and zing as Primal Kitchen. Both of these brands have other dressing and marinades I use for salads, pasta, and meats as well. They are my go-to flavor enhancers and a staple in our pantry.

I hope you enjoy this staple dish as much as my family and I do. Make it your own, create a new food adventure with different flavors, and share which places you visit through cooking.

Recipe

1-2 cups uncooked Quinoa

2-4 cups Vegetable Broth

10.5oz Grape tomatoes (cut in half) or 4 Roma tomatoes (diced)

1/2 Red Onion (diced)

1 English Cucumber (diced)

6oz jar sliced and pitted Kalamata Olives

Greek Dressing (I like Primal Kitchen or Kens Simply Vinaigrette Greek dressing. Kens has feta cheese, so if you want dairy free use Primal Kitchen)

½ teaspoon Salt

¼ teaspoon Pepper

½ teaspoon Garlic Powder

½ teaspoon Onion Powder

Large mixing bowl

Bring the two cups vegetable broth and one cup to a boil (if you are making a large batch, boil all four cups) and cook according to the instructions on the quinoa bag.

Dice the red onion, tomatoes, and cucumber into small pieces. (These should all be equal parts such as one cup each of the red onion, tomatoes and cucumber or two cups depending how much quinoa you are making.) set a side

Drain the olives and set a side half the jar if you are making one cup uncooked quinoa or use the entire jar for two cup uncooked quinoa

Once the quinoa is cooked and cooled, moved to large mixing bowl. Mix in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix well.

Add the diced onion, cucumber, tomatoes, and olives. Add half the jar of dressing and mix until well blended. You can add more or less dressing depending how much you are cooking. Add feta cheese on top right before serving if you choose.

(Another version is a southwest quinoa salad. Use 1 can black beans drained and rinsed, red onion, tomatoes, corn, jalapeno deseeded and devained if desired, and taco seasoning. Drizzle a little EVOO so the quinoa is light, fluffy, and the taco seasoning sticks to everything. Serve warm topped with avocado, salsa, sour cream, shredded lettuce, and choice of meat if you choose. This is also a great binder for black bean burgers).