Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

I first fell in love with this salad during a summer trip to Greece with my best friend. We stumbled upon this tiny family-run taverna in Santorini where an elderly grandmother served us the most incredible quinoa bowl I have ever tasted. I spent weeks trying to recreate it at home, and this recipe is as close as I have gotten to that magical afternoon watching the sunset over the Aegean Sea.

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups water or vegetable broth
• 1 large English cucumber, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the quinoa: Bring water or broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and let cool completely.
2. Prep the vegetables: While quinoa cools, dice the cucumber, halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the olives, and finely dice the red onion.
3. Make the dressing: Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
4. Combine everything: In a large bowl, toss the cooled quinoa with all the vegetables and fresh parsley.
5. Dress and serve: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat. Top with crumbled feta cheese and serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Tips

• For the fluffiest quinoa, let it sit covered for 5 minutes after cooking before fluffing.
• This salad tastes even better after marinating in the fridge for a few hours.
• Add grilled chicken or chickpeas for extra protein to make it a complete meal.
• Swap feta for dairy-free cheese to make this fully plant-based.