Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

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).
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Reviews
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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!
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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?
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Tweaks
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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!
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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.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I am a vegan - and I love it :)
My favorite cuisines are Mexican/American and Asian.