(Recipe can be found on the site Small Kitchen College here.)
Step by Step Directions:
This fresh and flavor-packed salad calls for the following ingredients: Red Onion, one can of Artichoke Hearts, Feta Cheese (I used the reduced-fat, crumbled variety), Salt and Pepper, Olive Oil, fresh Basil, one Garlic Clove, Grape Tomatoes, fresh Italian Parsley, one head of Romaine Lettuce, one Lemon (for the juice), Kalamata Olives (about 1/2 cup), one medium-sized Cucumber, and 1 cup of Quinoa (uncooked).
Begin by measuring 2 cups of water and add it to a small saucepan along with 1 cup of uncooked quinoa that has been rinsed, and a splash of olive oil. Bring the quinoa to a boil and place a lid on the pot, reducing the heat and cooking for 10-15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.
While the quinoa was cooking, I began cutting my veggies. First up, I finely chopped one small red onion and measured 1/4 cup of onions…sorry for the slightly blurry image as I must have been excited to move onto the next step when I took it!
You can use either cherry or grape tomatoes and halve each tomato and set to the side.
Next up, I peeled a cucumber and cut off the ends. Then I cut the cucumber in half length-wise and the diced it into small bite-sized pieces.
I opened a can of quartered artichoke hearts and drained them. Then I roughly chopped the artichoke hearts. I didn’t measure them because I love artichoke hearts and knew that it couldn’t possibly hurt to use them all in the salad…I was right…yum!
Then I grabbed about 1/2 cup each of basil and parsley and washed it off and finely chopped them. The chopped herbs got added to a large bowl along with the above vegetables that I had prepped.
I rinsed off a head of romaine lettuce and then chopped off the stem. Then I took the leaves and cut out the stems and chopped the lettuce leaves into small pieces. The lettuce then is added to the large bowl. (Again, the excitement to eat must have caused the blurry image above.)
Around this time, my quinoa had finished cooking. It took about 15 minutes for my quinoa to fully cook, and then I carefully fluffed it and set it aside to cool a bit.
Then I halved about 1/2 cup of Kalamata olives and added them to the bowl.
Now the dressing gets whipped up. Just mince one clove of garlic, and add 1/2 cup of olive oil and the juice of one lemon in a small bowl and whisk until the dressing comes together. How easy what that?!
Pour the dressing over the lettuce, herbs, and veggies and mix it until everything is coated with dressing.
To the large bowl of salad, add the cooked quinoa, 1 cup of feta cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
Mix the salad thoroughly and serve. The recipe says it makes 4 servings, but those would be 4 massive servings. I would say it would be closer to 6-8 servings. This would be a perfect dish for a Summer cook out, a light lunch, or a lovely side dish for dinner. I hope you enjoy, because this salad really hit the spot with me.
Kelsey’s Easy-As-Pie Mediterranean Salad
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 cup dry quinoa (makes 2 cups cooked)
½ cup olive oil, plus a splash more for cooking the quinoa
1 carton cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup red onion, chopped
1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
1 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped
½ cup Italian parsley, chopped
½ cup fresh basil, chopped
½ cup Kalamata olives, halved
1 head of romaine or red leaf lettuce, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation Instructions:
1. Let’s get the quinoa going first. In a small pot, combine 2 cups of water, the quinoa, and a splash of olive oil. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover for 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed and the grain has germinated. Set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, red onion, artichokes, cucumber, parsley, basil, olives, and lettuce and gently toss together to mix.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil and pour evenly over the salad greens. Stir in the quinoa, feta cheese, and a dash of salt and pepper. Enjoy!
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