Quinoa Salad
This bright, crunchy and hearty quinoa salad is inspired by the flavors and textures of tabbouleh and Greek salad. Quinoa, cucumbers, bell pepper, olives, lots of parsley and an assertive lemon-garlic dressing make it a filling and protein-rich vegan lunch, or a great side for grilled chicken, seared fish or spiced chickpeas. Feel free to add other briny, creamy, snappy or herbaceous ingredients, such as feta, avocado, torn romaine leaves or fresh mint. The salad will keep for up to 2 days refrigerated; refresh with salt and lemon juice before eating as flavors may become muted in the fridge.
Ingredients
- 1 smallgarlic clove
- 2lemons
- ¼ cupextra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- salt and black pepper
- 3 cupscooked quinoa, cold or at room temperature
- 2mini seedless or persian cucumbers, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1bell pepper, any color, seeded and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cupfinely chopped parsley leaves and stems (see tip)
- ½ cupgreen olives, such as castelvetrano or cerignola, pitted and halved
Directions
- 1
In a large bowl, finely grate the garlic clove. Finely grate the zest of 1 lemon, then halve the lemons and squeeze in ¼ cup juice. Add the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- 2
Stir in the quinoa, cucumbers, bell pepper, parsley and olives. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt (if bland), black pepper (if mild), olive oil (if too puckery) and lemon juice (if it needs a punch).