It’s finally summer and I try to eat a little lighter this time of year- plus the fruit and vegetables are in season around here so everything tastes better. I have a trip with some girlfriends coming up and am responsible for a light lunch. I thought I’d make a salad but want one that feels substantial so we’re not starving two hours later. Because I’m not sure about everyone’s dietary preferences I’m not including any meat, so I figured I’d do a quinoa salad. It’s easy! I’ll prep it ahead of time and it’s delicious. Below is a recipe I got from the Skinnytaste blog.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- ½-3/4 lemon squeezed (I just use the whole lemon)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups cucumber, peeled and diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1/3 cup feta cheese (I LOVE FETA!!!)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Any recipes with quinoa says to rinse it first, I never have and haven’t had (or tasted) any issues. Rinse if you wish. Otherwise fill a pot with water, add quinoa and salt and bring it to a boil. When it reaches boiling, reduced heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and set aside in bowl to cool.
- After quinoa has cooled add the onion, olives, cucumber and tomatoes to it, then squeeze the lemon over the mix.
- Drizzle olive oil over the quinoa and vegetable mix and toss in feta, salt and pepper. Done!
If you need a quick and easy salad to bring to picnics or get-togethers this summer, give it a shot. If your dad and father-in-law also don’t “trust” quinoa despite never trying it, just tell them it’s a different kind of rice- seems to go over easier.