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Mediterranean quinoa salad is a flavorful, veggie-loaded salad with great colors, flavors and textures! Perfect for a side dish or check out my ideas to make it a main meal!

Happy Thursday, my friends!

We’ve had a great first week back at school – both kids are happy and getting settled in their new classes and I’m so relieved to see their BIG smiles each day at pick-up!

I’m also relieved that we’ve got a 3-day weekend coming up for Labor Day. We’re beach bound tomorrow afternoon and I’m looking forward to hitting the beach with the kiddos and our chocolate lab Dixie in the morning, heading to the pool in the afternoon, visiting our favorite lunch spots and rocking on the porch with a beverage to watch the sunset after the kids go to bed!

Today though we’re traveling to the Mediterranean cause you know I love me some Mediterranean flavors! I’ve shared my vegetarian Mediterranean chopped salad, crock pot Mediterranean chicken, tabbouleh and my easy baked falafel.

And now, this Mediterranean quinoa salad, which is loaded with colors, flavors and textures!

We’ve got the soft, fluffy quinoa, sweet red onions, crunchy cucumber and red onion, briny olives and salty feta plus the bright, fresh basil lemon vinaigrette to coat everything.

We are talking serious flavor in this dish. Oh, and it’s vegetarian and gluten-free too so it’s great for a crowd!

A few notes on this Mediterranean quinoa salad:

• The quinoa for this salad needs to be cooled, so plan accordingly. (You can also stick your cooked quinoa in the freezer for a bit if you’re in a pinch.)
• You can make the entire salad ahead if you want. Just wait to add the dressing until you’re ready to serve.
• The basil flavor in the dressing is pretty mild so I like to top this salad with extra chopped basil. I add an extra squeeze of lemon before serving, as well, to really make it pop.
• No white wine vinegar? I made this once when I was out and substituted regular distilled vinegar and a pinch of sugar and it turned out just fine.
• I like the salty pop from the feta cheese but you could leave it out if you want this salad to be dairy-free and/or vegan.

This quinoa salad goes great with burgers (it would pair fabulously with my Greek turkey burgers with tzatziki sauce) and kabobs or just some grilled chicken or pork.

Or you could just doctor up this salad and have it be a main dish!

Some variations and add-ins for this Mediterranean quinoa salad:

• Add chopped fresh baby spinach or some chopped tomatoes to boost the veggies.
• Add a can of rinsed and drained chickpeas for a vegetarian main dish.
• Add some grilled chicken on top! You can double the dressing for the salad and use that as the marinade for the chicken.
• Top this with toasted pine nuts for some extra crunch.

Options are good 😉

And if you adore Mediterranean flavors like I do, you should check out this cheesy stuffed Mediterranean chicken, Mediterranean panzanella salad and Mediterranean nachos from my blogging buddies!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend – and a great holiday weekend for all of you in the US!

(Also, because of the holiday, I’ll be back next Tuesday, instead of Monday, with a new recipe).

XO,

Kathryn

Mediterranean quinoa salad

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Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Total Time 20 minutes

Serves 4     adjust servings

Mediterranean quinoa salad is a flavorful, veggie-loaded salad with great colors, flavors and textures!

Ingredients

For the salad

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1/2 large hot house cucumber, chopped small
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped small
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped small
• 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped small
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the lemon basil dressing

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, plus extra for serving
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus extra for serving
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Cook quinoa according to package directions and let cool. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, chop veggies and add to a large bowl.

To make the dressing: Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until well combined.

Add cooled quinoa to bowl with veggies and stir to mix.

When ready to serve, add dressing to salad and stir to combine. Top with feta cheese, if using, and extra chopped fresh basil. Finish with an extra squeeze of lemon juice.

Recipe Notes

The quinoa for this salad needs to be cooled, so plan accordingly. (You can also stick your cooked quinoa in the freezer for a bit if you’re in a pinch.)

You can make the entire salad ahead if you want. Just wait to add the dressing until you’re ready to serve.

The basil flavor in the dressing is pretty mild so I like to top this salad with extra chopped basil. I add an extra squeeze of lemon before serving, as well, to really make it pop.

No white wine vinegar? I made this once when I was out and substituted regular distilled vinegar and a pinch of sugar and it turned out just fine.

I like the salty pop from the feta cheese but you could leave it out if you want this salad to be dairy-free and/or vegan.

You can add a can of rinsed and drained chickpeas for a vegetarian main dish.

You can add some grilled chicken on top! You can double the dressing for the salad and use that as the marinade for the chicken. Or just add some leftover chicken to make this a main meal.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
Amount Per Serving	As Served
Calories 302kcal Calories from fat 153
% Daily Value
Total Fat 17g	26%
Saturated Fat 2g	10%
Sodium 301mg	13%
Carbohydrate 31g	10%
Dietary Fiber 4g	16%
Sugars 2g
Protein 7g

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:

	Calories	2000
Total Fat	Less than	65g
Sat Fat	Less than	25g
Cholesterol	Less than	300mg
Sodium	Less than	2,400mg
Total Carbohydrate		300g
Dietary Fiber		25g