I love cooking with all of the fresh produce available in the Summer, but I hate how warm our house gets if I turn on our oven. To keep our house cool, I aim to make as many salads and cold meals as possible, (as well as using our grill) during the Summer months.
With that being said, a salad doesn’t have to be made with just lettuce, it can also be made with grains, veggies and fruit, which is why I love this recipe…Mediterranean Quiona Salad! The only cooking required is for the quinoa, which can be made a head of time and store in the fridge. It’s a hearty meatless salad that is packed with protein from the quinoa, beans and cheese, so you don’t need to add any additional protein. It’s a perfect main dish or it can be used as a side for your next backyard BBQ!
Keenan and my husband LOVE this salad, especially leftovers for lunch the next day when all of the flavors have a chance to meld together! Since making it a couple of weeks ago, I’ve made different variations adding in artichoke hearts or changing the flavor profile completely and mixing the quinoa with black beans, corn, fresh cilantro, tomatoes, red onion and cotija cheese for a Mexican version.
Each variation of this salad has been delicious, but the Mediterranean one is our favorite, so here you go…
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley (chopped finely)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
- 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives (chopped)
- 1 can garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp oregano
- pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add cooked quinoa to a large bowl.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
- Serve salad over a handful of fresh spinach for some added nutrition or eat on its own. Enjoy!
Since it’s Wednesday and today’s post is all about food, I’m also joining Jenn, for What I Ate Wednesday!
Have a good one!
Questions:
What is your favorite Summer salad?
Do you tend to cook more cold meals in the Summer?
This has some of my favorite ingredients and since I’ve been wanting to try quinoa (it’s one of my 2014 goals), this might be the perfect recipe!!!
Ooh, quinoa is so good! You have to try it!
that quinoa salad sounds delicious! Do you have it as a side or and entree?
We usually eat it as a main dish for a one-pot meal over green leaf lettuce or spinach.
Yum!! This is very similar to the quinoa tabouli we make… looks so fresh and delicious!
It’s tasty and so refreshing for Summer! I’ll have to check out your tabouli recipe!