Greek Style Quinoa Salad
This quinoa salad is so good and tasty, it’s hard to believe it’s healthy too…but it really is!
Quinoa is known as an ancient grain (although not as ancient as some of the other popular grains). The Incas seem to have been the first to realize that Quinoa was edible and very healthy. Julie Wilcox, a contributor on the Forbes website does a very nice job talking about the history of quinoa and some of the key health benefits of this grain in her article “7 Benefits Of Quinoa: The Supergrain Of The Future“.
Quinoa is versatile–it’s a healthy substitute to many things, such as rice and pasta; and, it can be made in a lot of different ways. This recipe is a perfect side dish, or main course. Nelson took a Greek approach to this quinoa salad–with a greek-style dressing and crumbled feta cheese.
This recipe is easy to make and can be prepared very quickly, so it’s a nice addition to any quick weeknight meal. It’s colourful, fresh, and also gluten-free, so it’s a perfect contribution to a potluck lunch too. Mmmm…potluck.
Helen Nichols wrote a very detailed and researched article on many of the benefits of Quinoa. If you have a little time, give this article a read: 27 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Quinoa
We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.
- 2 cups quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half or quarters
- ½ cup kalamata olives
- ¼ red onion diced
- ½ red pepper diced
- ½ green pepper diced
- ½ cucumber cut down the centre and then sliced
- 7 oz + 2 oz crumbled feta cheese
- 3 tbs + 1 tbs fresh parsley chopped
- ½ cup olive oil
- 4 tbs red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried basil
- Bring water and chicken stock to a boil in a medium pot.
- Add the quinoa into the boiling liquid, stir, reduce heat to medium and cover.
- Cook the quinoa for about 14-16 minutes or until you don't see any liquid.
- Transfer to a medium bowl and fluff with a fork to loosen the quinoa. Let cool to room temperature.
- While the quinoa is cooling off, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano and basil in a small bowl. Whisking quickly will emulsify the mixture. You should see the dressing thicken.
- Add the dressing into the bowl with the quinoa, add tomatoes, olives, onion, peppers, cucumber, 3 tbs of parsley and 7 oz feta cheese. Mix gently until the dressing, quinoa and remaining ingredients are well incorporated.
- Transfer to a clean bowl, sprinkle the 2 oz of crumbled feta and 1 tbs of fresh parsley evenly over the quinoa mix and serve.
That was easy .. And tasty. Thank you for the recipe. I can see making this ahead of time too to make life easier.
Hi Eric, thanks for the comment. It’s super easy and does do well for a day or two in the fridge.