Greek Style Quinoa Salad
Quinoa. We can’t pronounce it correctly, but we know it’s good for us. My problem is always what do I do with it? How do you make it taste good so you actually want to eat it?
Quinoa salads have become very popular, and I think it’s really the best way to eat it. You need some dressing and some varying textures so you choose to eat it over other options in your fridge. It’s also a great way to incorporate veggies into your diet if that’s something you struggle with.
This recipe is my go to option, but you can easily swap out some ingredients to make it specific to what you prefer. This one is nice and salty, which I love. If you’ve tried my Greek salad recipe, this has some similar ingredients. I love that it’s something I can keep in the fridge for a few days. We eat it alongside burgers for dinner or as lunch with some hummus or pita too. These Greek flavors have inspired me to create a Greek burger too. They’re just a great combo!
One key with quinoa is to cook it with some sort of broth. I usually pick bone broth if I have it. Chicken broth works well too. It really helps add a little flavor since quinoa is pretty bland. You can use any type of quinoa- white, red, or tri-color! They all taste about the same to me. Just follow directions on the box for stovetop cooking, but replace water with broth.
Chop up your veggies and mix up a little dressing before tossing it all together! Thinking about it is making me want another bowl. This is a great side for a summer bbq or just a good lunch option for a few days. Give it a try!
Greek Style Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup bone or chicken broth
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 1/3 cup Greek olives plus a splash of brine
- 1/2 red pepper chopped
- 10 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cucumber chopped
- 1/2 diced red onion
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
Dressing
- 1 lemon zested and juiced + equal parts red wine vinegar
- 2 parts olive oil
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp basil
- 1 tsp agave or honey
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook quinoa on the stovetop as per box directions
- Use broth instead of water for more flavor. Usually the measurements are 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water/liquid.
- Drain and rinse chickpeas and set aside.
- Chop vegetables and olives if desired.
- Once quinoa is done cooking and cooled to room temperature, mix everything in a bowl including that feta cheese and dressing!
- Dressing
- Zest lemon
- Juice lemon and measure amount. Add the same amount of red wine vinegar. For example, if there is 4 tbsp of lemon juice, then add 4 tbsp red wine vinegar.
- If you like things salty, add a splash of the olive brine too!
- Then double the amount of oil. For example, if you have 8 tbsp lemon juice/vinegar, add 16 tbsp olive oil.
- Add the oregano and basil. If you have fresh, use that but double the amount!
- Then stir and add in agave/honey. If you want more salt, you can add a bit, but probably unnecessary!
- I like to use about 3/4 of this in the quinoa salad right away. Then I save the rest and add a little bit the next time I eat it if I’m keeping some in the fridge. Extra dressing is always good to have too!
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