Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Name: Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 4-8 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa or 1 cup bulgur; 2 cups water; 4 tablespoons orange juice, freshly squeezed; 3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 -2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or 1 -2 tablespoon wine vinegar; 1 teaspoon brown sugar or 1 teaspoon raw sugar; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste); salt, to taste; fresh ground black pepper, to taste; 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaf; 1/3 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomato; 2 red onions, finely chopped or 8 -10 green onions, chopped; 1 lb cherry tomatoes, cut in half; 6 ounces black olives, sliced; 3/4 cup pine nuts (toasted)

Submitted by Veganized

"Very tasty side dish - especially for barbecues! (It can be made a day ahead) - To make it a complete vegan meal, just add chickpeas or baked/grilled tofu chunks. Serve with (vegan)tzatziki."

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photo by Prose

Ready In:: 2hrs 30mins
Ingredients:: 16
Serves:: 4-8

ingredients

1 cup quinoa or 1 cup bulgur
2 cups water
Marinade
4 tablespoons orange juice, freshly squeezed
3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 -2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or 1 -2 tablespoon wine vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar or 1 teaspoon raw sugar
¹⁄₂ teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)
salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
¹⁄₂ cup finely chopped fresh basil leaf
Vegetables
¹⁄₃ cup finely chopped sun-dried tomato
2 red onions, finely chopped or 8 -10 green onions, chopped
1 lb cherry tomatoes, cut in half
6 ounces black olives, sliced
³⁄₄ cup pine nuts (toasted)

directions

Rinse quinoa in a strainer under running water and drain.
Bring water to a boil. Add quinoa and let it simmer for 10-15 minute (until water is absorbed and quinoa is translucent)
Set aside to cool. Meanwhile prepare vegetables.
Combine ingredients for the marinade, pour over cooled quinoa and stir to mix.
Add herbs and vegetables. Stir again. Sprinkle with pine nuts.
Cover and refrigerate 2-6 hours or more. (Serve at room temperature).

Questions & Replies

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Reviews

What a superb tasty salad! I found the marinade to be particularly flavourful.<br/>I believe my only modification was to use fresh oranges for the orange juice, as well as toasting the quinoa prior to any boiling (see recipe here for toasting quinoa- really does improve the flavour!).<br/>The salad lasted for about three days in our fridge, and the flavours became more intense over time.<br/>Great recipe!

Axelboot
Very nice dish. Flavorful. We'll definitely serve again.

sjpatton98
Delicious! I used green onions, diced roma tomatoes, and kalamata olives. I also added diced avocado to mine.

SandwichQueen
What a keeper of a salad! It got rave reviews from my guests. And considering how easy it was to make I'm going to do lots of repeats. I used a mixture of mostly red quinoa and it was so pretty with the cherry tomatoes mixture. I highly recommend that just for the striking visual it makes.

Wish I Could Cook
Very nice salad. I didn't use any sugar, and the dressing was still wonderful! I only had 1/4 of a large red onion on hand, and that was plenty - and I really love onions - but this red one was a strong one... Definitely a keeper and I will be making it again and again. Healthy and delicious, what could be a better combination?

Snowpeas

see 12 more reviews

Tweaks

Used peach flavored white balsamic vinegar.

sjpatton98
Amazing! I have eaten it for the past three days along with falafel, cashew tzaziki and roasted red pepper hummus, a real feast! My parents enjoyed it very much too! I used plum tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes, and used only one tablespoon of olive oil. Had to omit the sundried tomatoes because I didn't have it at home. The orange juice in the dressing was an interesting addition, and it blended very well with the rest of the ingredients. Thank you for this recipe, I will make it many more times in the future!

Lovaskon
This is fantastic. I served it as a meal with grilled tofu cubes. It was easy to put together because I cooked the quinoa the day before. This recipe is really easy to adjust according to your own taste. I used lime juice instead of orange juice and a little homemade pesto instead of the basil. I omitted the cherry tomatoes because I thought the sun-dried tomatoes would be enough tomato flavor. I found that 1/2 of a red onion was more than enough. 2 red onions would be over-powering in my opinion (but maybe they are unusually large where I live). I also left out the pine nuts. Even with all these omissions, it was very flavorful. I served it with a dollop of your Vegan Tzatziki, which my husband described as "genius," so thanks for suggesting it. The leftovers were great for lunch the next day on a bed of romaine lettuce.

Prose