I absolutely love Greek Salads, so we’ve created our own Mediterranean Quinoa Salad. I mean, how can you not love this? The flavor combination is pure perfection and that’s where the creative inspiration for this kicked up quinoa came from…so we present to you today our totally off the hook, bursting with flavor, have to have it, Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Creamy Red Wine Vinaigrette! The good news is that the kids love this one too! When that happens, it’s like woohoo!!! Happy dance! Anyway, the other good news is that this salad is really easy to make. You could even throw it together if you have some leftover quinoa in the fridge…if you don’t have any, that’s okay, just boil some up and you’ll be ready to go. After you cook your quinoa, transfer it to a bowl to cool. You can get started on the rest of your salad while it’s cooling.
The remaining ingredients are easy peasy. I’m on this massive yellow bell pepper kick lately. I made 3 other recipes this week that have them in it. I can think of worse things to be on a kick with right?? So, just simply chop up the bell peppers, cucumber (I prefer an English cucumber and also leave the skin on), cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and kalamata olives. My daughter always requests extra olives. I don’t blame her for I too love me some olives. I also added in some fresh chopped flat leaf parsley. You don’t need a ton but adding a little will just brighten up the flavor.
The creamy red wine vinaigrette that you will drizzle over this salad is so darn good!! I know I say this a lot but it’s so good I could drink it. I don’t because that’s weird but that’s how delicious it is. I make my dressing in the blender simply because it’s easy to throw everything in at once and turn it on. You can also use an immersion blender. So all you need is red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, plain greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, honey, good quality olive oil and some salt and pepper! Get that all blended up and pour it over your salad, toss away until it’s nicely covered. You don’t have to use all of the dressing, just add it to your liking. You can reserve any leftover dressing in a covered container for a week in the fridge. This salad is also fantastic the next day too. I like to have it on hand for lunch (both for the kids and myself)…if that’s the case, it will go fast! Hope you enjoy!
- 1 Cup raw quinoa - cooked to package instructions
- ½ Cup kalamata olives - sliced
- ½ Cup cucumber - chopped
- ½ Cup cherry tomates - sliced
- ½ Cup yellow bell pepper - chopped
- ½ Cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 Tbsp flat leaf parsley - minced
- fresh cracked pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp 0% greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 3 Tbsp good quality olive oil
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- pinch of salt and pepper
- In a saucepan over medium heat, prepare quinoa according to package directions and set aside to cool
- Transfer quinoa to a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients
- Combine all ingredients in a blender or use an immersion blender to combine. Drizzle salad with vinaigrette dressing and toss until well combined
Lisa McIntosh says
The BEST salad ever!!! I could eat it everyday! 🙂