Greek Quinoa Salad

This quinoa salad is unbelievably delicious. It’s one of my favorite dishes that I’ve ever created. It has the perfect combination of flavors and textures. The combination of classic Mediterranean ingredients like feta, cucumber, tomato, and olives is incredible. It was even delicious the next day.

The recipe is based on a salad that I used to eat for lunch all the time. For awhile, I worked as a manager for Panera Bread and we could get a free lunch on the days that we worked. But I eventually got bored with the standard menu items and starting modifying them to make up my own dishes. So I took their Greek salad and made a few changes. I ended up making a quinoa salad very much like this one and it quickly became my go-to lunch. It’s satisfying and full of flavor but not too heavy. Perfect for a midday meal.

So I started with that idea when creating this recipe and elevated it with my creamy garlic and herb tahini dressing. The fresh thyme, parsley, and oregano really drive home the Greek flavor. I highly recommend using fresh herbs and garlic. You won’t get the same flavor with garlic powder and dried herbs. Just be careful with how much salt you add to the dressing. You may want to skip it all together because the feta and olives are both fairly salty. This dressing is so good I ended up eating a spoonful of it by itself when I tasted it.

Quinoa

Quinoa is amazing in salads. If you haven’t tried it yet you really should. Quinoa is an excellent source of plant protein and is prepared exactly like rice. I cook mine in my rice cooker. Just add two parts water or broth to one part quinoa. It has a very similar texture to rice as well and a mild flavor. It’s perfect to soak up flavor from a sauce or salad dressing. Quinoa is high in fiber and vitamins and is one of the only plant based foods that contains all nine essential amino acids. It’s known to many as a superfood and is put to really great use in this Greek quinoa salad.

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Greek Quinoa Salad

A recipe for a delicious and nutritious Greek quinoa salad with classic Mediterranean ingredients like feta, cucumber, and olives and dressed with a homemade tahini salad dressing.

Course

Main Dish

Prep Time

20 minutes

Servings

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 1/2 cups Quinoa cooked
• 1 cup Kale destemmed and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups Lettuce chopped
• 1 Cucumber diced
• 1 Tomato diced
• 1 Red Onion diced
• 1/2 cup Olives sliced
• 4 ounces Feta crumbled

Tahini and Herb Salad Dressing

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Tahini
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon Parsley fresh, minced
• 2 tablespoons Thyme fresh, minced
• 1 tablespoon Oregano fresh, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

Course Main Dish Prep Time 20 minutes Servings Ingredients Salad 1 1/2 cups Quinoa cooked 1 cup Kale destemmed and chopped 1 1/2 cups Lettuce chopped 1 Cucumber diced 1 Tomato diced 1 Red Onion diced 1/2 cup Olives sliced 4 ounces Feta crumbled Tahini and Herb Salad Dressing 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar 1 1/2 tablespoons Tahini 1 1/2 tablespoons Lemon Juice 2 cloves garlic minced 1 tablespoon Parsley fresh, minced 2 tablespoons Thyme fresh, minced 1 tablespoon Oregano fresh, minced 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

Instructions

Salad Dressing

1. Add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper to a mason jar and shake to combine.

Salad

1. Add cooked quinoa, kale, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, red onion, olives, and feta to a large salad bowl. Pour dressing over the top and toss until evenly mixed.

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