My cooking is super seasonal.
It’s all soups and pasta in the fall and winter and sandwiches and salads in the summer. So, since the warm weather has arrive (and seems to be staying), I’ve been rolling out all my favorite salad recipes!
This week a friend and I made Greek Quinoa Salad in a triple batch for an event at church. It was the final Wednesday gathering for the ladies Bible study and to celebrate there is a Summer Sampler event. If your mom’s group or church doesn’t do this, you must, it was so much fun!
This is how it works …
- A handful of gals make their favorite recipe in bulk
- Their dish is divided into Costco size sample cups
- Then, everyone at the event does a loop (or two) through the food tables to “sample” a bit of each recipe
Here’s a peek at my sampler plate:
Well, a peek at round one :)You better believe I went back to try one of everything available. I think in all there were 15 recipes to sample. Salads, appetizers, desserts, and more — it was SO GOOD!
Best of all, we each left with the recipes for everything we sampled in a mini cookbook!
All that to say, you should totally think about coordinating a sampler and you should definitely add Greek Quinoa Salad to your summer menu. It’s super fresh, full of veggies, and it’s one of those one bowl meals that fill you up with goodness!
And yes, if your husband is anything like mine, you can totally add chicken or even steak or lamb bites to make it a “real” meal :)
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 cups cheery tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup bell peppers, chopped
- 1 cup cucumbers, chopped
- 1/2 cup red onions, diced
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
- Optional: 2 cups kale, stems removed and chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt + pepper
- Rinse and drain quinoa thoroughly. Place in a saucepan with water and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook covered on low for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and keep covered for another 5 minutes. Use a fork to fluff.
- Transfer quinoa to a large mixing bowl and add vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and oregano. Set aside and allow to cool while other veggies are prepped.
- Add tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, red onion, kale, feta, olives, and beans. Gently toss. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and lemon juice. Toss again. Season as needed with salt and pepper.
- This photo doesn't show the kale, but I've made it that way before and it's a great addition!
