Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa (Uncooked and rinsed)
• 2 cups water
• 2 bell peppers (Small diced; any color works—the source used red and yellow)
• 1 English cucumber (Small diced)
• 0.5 red onion (Medium, small diced)
• 0.25 cup capers (Drained)
• 0.25 cup fresh parsley (Roughly chopped)
• 4 oz feta cheese (Crumbled)
• 0.333 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 0.25 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 0.5 tsp honey
• 1 garlic (Clove, minced)
• kosher salt (To taste)
• ground black pepper (To taste)

Steps

1. 1

   Make the dressing. Add the extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, minced garlic, kosher salt, and ground black pepper to a small bowl. Whisk until fully emulsified. Alternatively, place the ingredients in a small jar and shake until combined. Set the dressing aside.

2. 2

   Cook the quinoa. Add the rinsed quinoa and water to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.

3. 3

   Bring the quinoa and water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.

4. 4

   Cover the saucepan and cook the quinoa for about 15 minutes, or until it has absorbed all the water.

5. 5

   Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the quinoa to steam, covered, for another 5 minutes.

6. 6

   Cool the quinoa by spreading it out on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes. Make sure it is completely cooled before adding the vegetables so they remain crisp.

7. 7

   Make the salad. Add the cooled quinoa to a large mixing bowl.

8. 8

   Add the diced bell peppers, diced English cucumber, diced red onion, drained capers, chopped parsley, and crumbled feta to the bowl.

9. 9

   Drizzle the lemon vinaigrette over the salad. Use as much or as little as desired; the source notes that it is commonly all used. Toss until everything is well combined.

10. 10

    Serve the quinoa salad immediately, or chill it in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld further.

Notes

For the best texture, cool the quinoa completely before combining it with the vegetables. The source also notes that the salad holds up well for meal prep. Optional variations mentioned in the page include using diced baked chicken, flaked baked salmon, diced avocado, garbanzo beans, or kalamata olives, but these are not part of the authoritative ingredient list.

Nutrition per serving

• salad
• side dish
• vegetarian
• Mediterranean
• meal prep
• make-ahead
• gluten-free