Greek-Style Quinoa Salad

After making smoked salmon with quinoa salad, all I've wanted to do is cook quinoa. It's so easy, extremely healthy and can be used in any number of ways. Like rice, it can be flavored with just about anything but takes less time to cook than brown rice with more health benefits than white rice. It's pretty much perfect if you ask me. But in the effort to not cook the same thing every night, I held off for awhile before coming up with a different quinoa dish. This Greek-style dish came about because of what I had on hand, left over from a Greek salad I had made earlier in the week. The red wine vinaigrette is easy to mix up and can be used on salads or tossed with cooked vegetables or even to marinate chicken. Home made salad dressings can be intimidating but they are actually quite easy and far superior to the store bought kind. They don't last as long as the bottled versions because they lack all those chemical preservatives but they can easily be made in quantities that you can use up that week. I used a yellow bell pepper that I had but any color will work as would the addition of cucumbers, olives or red onion. Cherry and grape tomatoes are beautiful right now at the farmers' market and at most grocery stores. This salad can be served either warm or at room temperature and as a side dish or even a simple lunch on its own.

Greek-Style Quinoa Salad

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock or water
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 yellow or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup red wine vinaigrette (see below)
• black pepper

Combine the quinoa and stock/water in a small sauce pot.
Bring to a boil; turn down, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Fluff with a fork and let cool slightly before mixing the quinoa, tomatoes, bell pepper and feta together in a large bowl.
Pour in 1/3 cup vinaigrette and mix thoroughly. Add more vinaigrette if the salad is too dry.
Sprinkle with black pepper.

Red Wine Vinaigrette: (makes about 3/4 cup)

• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

Combine vinegar, mustard, honey and oregano and mix well.
Stream in olive oil, whisking to combine.
Season with salt and pepper. Add more honey or oil if the vinegar taste is too strong.

For a printable recipe click here