Greek Quinoa Salad

Friends! In a recent podcast episode with Ashley Thompson, the founder of Mush (if you haven’t listened, do so here!), I mentioned I wanted to create an IGTV cooking channel surrounded around my style of cooking. Where there is a lot of “Do That” (who actually knows what they’re doing in a kitchen??) and “Ish” (who measures??) is given as instruction. Cooking is an art, it is supposed to be a fun experiment! So let’s do just that. Freckled Foodie Do That Ish came to me in the middle of recording a cooking demo with my friend, Emily. She kept asking me questions from behind the camera and my responses always seemed to be “ya know, do that” or “I dunno the measurement, ish”. I then realized that the majority of my cooking style was revolved around those two sayings, so why not bring them together to create a new show. “Do That Ish”. Weirdly, it encapsulates everything I want me cooking style to exemplify.

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This cooking show is meant to encourage you to experiment in your kitchen and find your own way while giving you the guideline of a new recipe. For this episode, I am walking you through the Greek quinoa salad – one of my favorite lunches to meal prep or easy gluten free and vegetarian dishes to enjoy for dinner. To make this incredibly quick and easy dish, start by cooking the quinoa. As you’ll see in the recipe, I love to toast my quinoa seeds prior to cooking them. It provides this nutty and fragrant flavor that cannot be matched. Seriously, try it! While the quinoa is cooking, sauté the chopped bell peppers, zucchini, and kale.

Again, this is not a strict recipe, so add, replace, and remove as much as you’d like! While the vegetables and quinoa are cooking, chop the grape tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado and place in a large mixing bowl. Eventually, once finished cooking, add the quinoa and sautéed vegetables to this bowl along with the hummus, feta, and Greek vinaigrette (optional, but I love this Kaari option). Once everything is in the large mixing bowl, combine together using a spoon and then individually serve. This can be placed in the fridge in a Tupperware to enjoy later in the week, topped with a protein of your choice, or served hot as is. One of my all time favorites that is loaded with flavor, nutrients, and vegetables. You can’t go wrong here!

If you’re interested in keeping up to date with the channel and recipes, make sure you are following me over on Instagram - @freckledfoodie. Also, check out the full IGTV video below and feel free to cook alongside me with this recipe! I’m hoping to upload a new video every Monday. This will require some serious work, but I’m going to try my best to make it happen and, thankfully, have my new team assist on this mission. Now go have some fun in your kitchen and, of course, do that ish.

 
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Greek Quinoa Salad

Yield: 4
Author:
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 20 Mtotal time: 30 M
An easy vegetarian dinner or meal prepped lunch

ingredients:

  • Bell pepper (1)
  • Zucchini (1)
  • Kale (1 head)
  • Grape tomatoes (1 cup)
  • Cucumber (1)
  • Avocado (1)
  • Hummus (1 cup)
  • Feta (1/2 cup)
  • Quinoa (3/4 cup)
  • Ghee (2 teaspoons)
  • Greek dressing (1/2 cup)
  • Za’atar seasoning (1 teaspoon)
  • Cumin (1 teaspoon)
  • Salt
  • Pepper

instructions:

How to cook Greek Quinoa Salad

  1. In a pot on high heat, add 1 teaspoon of ghee and then, once melted, add in the quinoa to toast the seeds for ~1 minute
  2. Pour in 1 ½ cups of water to the pot and cover on high until it begins to boil and then lower on simmer and cook, covered, until all of the water is absorbed
  3. Cut the bell pepper and zucchini into ¼ inch pieces and de-rib the kale and then chop into small pieces
  4. Add 1 teaspoon of ghee into a hot skillet and then add in the chopped vegetables
  5. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, za’atar seasoning, and cumin
  6. Mix all together and then sauté for ~7-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through and slightly browned
  7. Slice the cucumber into ¼ inch pieces, the avocado into ½ inch chunks, and the grape tomatoes in half lengthwise and set aside
  8. Pour the chopped vegetables into a bowl with the quinoa, 1 cup of hummus, and ½ cup of feta
  9. Remove the sautéed vegetables from the skillet and add them to the mixture
  10. Season with salt and pepper ½ teaspoon fo za’atar seasoning and ½ teaspoon of cumin
  11. If using, add in the Greek dressing, or use oil and vinegar
  12. Mix all together and serve!
Allergen Information
  1. Gluten Free
  2. Vegetarian
  3. Soy Free
  4. Nut Free
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