Quinoa Mediterranean Salad is healthy, crisp and delicious. This protein-packed summer salad is a burst of freshness and flavours! A symphony of amazing textures and rich colours, gluten-free Mediterranean salad makes every spoonful a delight.
This quinoa salad recipe is very easy to toss together and oh so refreshing! Everyone will love this healthy salad made with quinoa, bell pepper, cucumber, cilantro and lemon. It’s so lovely and easy and a big crowd pleaser.
Quinoa, pronounced keen-wah, is a pseudo-cereal that originated in the Andean region of South America. It’s revered for its exceptional nutritional profile, earning it the title of a superfood. It boasts a complete protein profile containing all nine essential amino acids, making it an ideal choice for vegetarians and vegans. Its high fiber content promotes digestive health, aids in weight management, and helps stabilize blood sugar levels. Additionally, it is gluten-free, making it suitable for those with gluten intolerance or celiac disease.
Quinoa Mediterranean Salad Recipe:
Quinoa Summer Salad is always so fresh and crunchy, light and delicious. Bursting with flavour, healthy, and filling, it’s perfect for light lunches, potlucks, and picnics. Absolutely guilt-free, clean eating!
- To make Healthy Quinoa Salad, take the quinoa in a mesh strainer and rinse it well under running water. Shake off the excess water. Keep aside.
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the rinsed quinoa to the pan and spread it out into an even layer to ensure even toasting.
- Stir the quinoa occasionally to prevent burning. Toast it for about 5 minutes or until it becomes golden brown and starts to give off a nutty aroma.
- Add water and salt to the pan and cook covered over low-medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once all the water is absorbed, and the quinoa is cooked through, remove from heat.
- Use a fork to fluff it up. Keep aside to cool.
- Next peel and chop the cucumber and onion. Chop the bell pepper, tomato, coriander leaves, and olives. Keep aside.
- Now combine all the ingredients for the salad dressing in a bowl – olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt, pepper, garlic powder and ground cumin. Mix well to incorporate.
- Take all the chopped veggies, cooked quinoa and crumbled cheese in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix the veggies and quinoa.
- Pour about 3 tbsp. of the salad dressing onto the veggies and mix well.
- Taste it, and if required add more of the dressing. Otherwise, refrigerate the leftover dressing in a glass jar for other salads.
- You can chill the salad first or have it right away.
- Serve Quinoa Mediterranean Salad with Chicken Shawarma or a veggie burger.
If you are looking for more clean eating recipes, then do try out Apple and Grape Salad
Healthy Quinoa Salad Recipe details below:
Quinoa Vegetable Salad
Ingredients
To cook quinoa:
- ½ cup quinoa
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
For the salad:
- ¼ English cucumber chopped
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- 1 bell pepper small
- ¼ cup olives pitted and chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- ¼ cup cheese crumbled
- ⅓ cup coriander chopped
For the salad dressing:
- 2 ⅔ tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- ½ tbsp. red wine vinegar
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tbsp. Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp pepper
- ⅛ tsp ground cumin
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa in a strainer under cold water for about a minute. This helps remove any bitter flavour from the quinoa.
- Heat a little olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add the rinsed quinoa. Toast the quinoa for a couple of minutes to get a delightful nutty favour. The quinoa starts to make a sizzling sound as the water dries out.
- Add 1 cup water and ¼ tsp salt to the pan. Cover and cook the quinoa for about 15 minutes over low-medium heat. Stir occasionally. Once all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, remove from heat. Lightly fluff it up with a fork. Allow to cool.
- Chop up all the veggies into small pieces
- Add the quinoa veggies, chickpeas and crumbled cheese to a large mixing bowl. Toss to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
- Pour the dressing over the quinoa salad and toss until everything is well coated.
- Serve the Mediterranean quinoa salad immediately, or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to meld together.
- Serve Healthy Quinoa Salad with Chicken Shawarma or Veggie Burger.
