This nutritious and satiating Greek Quinoa Salad is loaded with fresh spinach, cherry tomatoes, black olives, crisp cucumbers, creamy avocado, and salty feta cheese. A simple Greek-inspired dressing tops this salad.
1-1/2tablespoons EACH:fresh squeezed lemon juice, honey, and Dijon mustard
1cloveminced garlic(~3/4 teaspoon)
1-1/2teaspoondried oregano
3tablespoons (40g)red wine vinegar
Fine sea salt and pepper
Instructions
QUINOA: Prepare the quinoa by rinsing it under cold water in a fine-mesh sieve to remove the bitter saponin coating. Combine the quinoa and 2 cups water in a small pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, add in 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (or to taste), reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, keep covered, and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and place in the fridge or freezer to cool to room temperature. Quinoa can be prepared 3-4 days in advance.
VEGGIE PREP: Coarsely chop the spinach. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and slice the black olives either in half or in slices. Chop cucumber into small pieces and dice the red onion. Finally, chop the avocado.
DRESSING:Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a jar. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I add 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Cover and shake thoroughly to combine (make sure no honey/Dijon is stuck on the bottom and use a spoon to stir it up and then shake again if needed). Refrigerate until ready to dress.
ASSEMBLY: In a large bowl, combine the roughly chopped spinach and quinoa. Toss to combine. Add the tomatoes, olives, cucumber, onion, avocado. Remove the dressing from the fridge and shake well. Before adding dressing, read Instruction #5. Drizzle on the dressing (to desired preference; you may not want it all) and toss to generously coat everything. If desired, add feta cheese. Serve immediately.
STORAGE: If you aren't eating this salad all in one sitting and want leftovers, only add avocado, feta, and dressing to what will be eaten. This salad doesn't sit well once dressed.
Video
Notes
See the post for substitutions and more ideas to add to this salad.