Description

This simple quinoa salad is a fresh, vibrant dish packed with wholesome ingredients like cherry tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and feta cheese. The quinoa is cooked in vegetable stock for extra flavor, then combined with a zesty lemon and honey dressing and fresh mint. It’s a perfect light meal or side dish that’s easy to prepare in just 25 minutes and serves six.

Ingredients

Salad

200 g Quinoa
500 ml Vegetable stock
50 g Cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 Cucumber, cut into thin semi-circles
100 g Pitted olives, halved
100 g Feta cheese
15 g Fresh mint

Dressing

Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 2 lemons
6 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Honey
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

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Instructions

Prepare the quinoa: Rinse the quinoa thoroughly under cold running water in a fine sieve until the water runs clear to remove any bitterness from the saponins.
Cook the quinoa: Add the rinsed quinoa to a pan with 500 ml of vegetable stock, bring to a gentle simmer, then cover with a lid. Cook for 10-12 minutes until the quinoa has absorbed all the stock and is just tender. Drain any excess liquid if necessary.
Make the dressing: While the quinoa cooks, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper in a large bowl until well combined and emulsified.
Combine quinoa and dressing: Add the cooked, drained quinoa to the bowl with the dressing and toss thoroughly to coat. Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes for flavors to meld together.
Add vegetables and cheese: Gently fold in the halved cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, halved olives, and crumbled feta cheese into the quinoa mixture.
Garnish and serve: Scatter fresh mint leaves over the salad just before serving for a fresh, aromatic finish.

Notes

Make sure to rinse quinoa well to avoid bitterness.
The salad can be served warm or chilled depending on preference.
For a vegan version, omit the feta or substitute with a plant-based cheese.
Use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor in the dressing.
Leftovers store well in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.