this Quinoa Greek Salad The recipe is hearty, healthy and full of fresh Mediterranean flavors! Serve it as a side dish, or enjoy it as a meal. The dressing is tangy and to die for! So, dig into this delicious vegetarian Greek salad!
Although I love salad, sometimes salad gets old, especially the same salad over and over again. In my opinion, it’s all about the combination of ingredients and the dressing that makes the perfect quinoa Greek salad recipe.
Jump:
As we all know, we need to get our green vegetables – the more nutrient-dense, the better.
So, I try to eat at least one big salad a day, sometimes more. But, regardless of the salad ingredients, the struggle is always the dressing. Dressing makes or breaks a salad and I love dressing!
Quinoa is a Greek salad ingredient
- Romaine Lettuce: Romaine lettuce is crisp and delicious as a base for Greek salads.
- Red Quinoa: Red quinoa has a nutty, vibrant flavor.
- Red Onion: Red onions are sweet and tangy in flavor and perfect for a vegetarian Greek salad.
- English Cucumber: English cucumbers have less water content than regular cucumbers.
- Kalamata Olives: The king of Greek table olives, the beloved and popular Kalamata is deep purple, with tight, crisp, shiny skin and a beautiful almond shape.
- Grape tomatoes: Grape tomatoes are sweet and the perfect size for slicing in salads. They contain less water than other tomatoes, which helps keep salads fresh, not soggy.
- Chickpeas: I used canned, drained and rinsed chickpeas. They add texture as well as protein to a quinoa Greek salad.
- bit: I buy fresh roasted beets in the produce section of Trader Joe’s. This is a great way to get fresh beets without having to roast your own.
- Tofu Feta cheese (optional): I love tofu feta cheese because it adds a creamy, salty flavor to the salad.
- Artichokes: I used canned artichokes in brine instead of oil.
- mild banana chili (optional): Banana peppers taste sweeter and about five times milder than the average jalapeño. Their sense of smell is more than a subtle tang.
- Red Cabbage: Purlein adds another layer of color, crunch and nutritional value to red cabbage salad.
Quinoa replaces Greek salad ingredients
- Choose greens like spinach, red leaf lettuce or collard greens.
- Any color of quinoa works well.
- Instead of red onion, consider adding pickled red onion. Or raw yellow or white onions are excellent choices for replacing red onions.
- Persian cucumber is similar to English cucumber. They contain fewer seeds, thus less water.
- Some people enjoy black olives instead of Kalamata olives, or green olives work too. Or, if you don’t like olives, skip.
- White beans are often used instead of chickpeas.
- If you don’t like beets, try sweet potatoes. They are a great replacement for beets and they taste fabulous cold.
- If you avoid soy products, skip the tofu feta cheese. Or for another option, buy store-bought tofu feta cheese.
- Hearts of palm are often used instead of artichokes.
- For those sensitive to spicy foods, try banana peppers before adding them to salads. I don’t think they are spicy, but some people do. If you’re a spice lover, add jalapeños instead.
Why make homemade dressings?
While store-bought dressing is more convenient, homemade dressing is healthier, and you control the ingredients. And, frankly, homemade salad dressings taste better.
For example, the typical Greek salad dressing is half oil and half vinegar and seasoning, which defeats the salad dressing.
This Quinoa Greek Salad recipe with Vegan Greek Salad Dressing tastes just like a traditional Greek salad. Because of quinoa’s texture, quinoa absorbs the flavor of the dressing.
Vegan Greek dressing, however, is a game changer. And, if I don’t say so myself, this is the best oil-free dressing I’ve ever made.
Greek salad dressing ingredients
- Hummus: I used Oil-Free Engine Hummus.
- Lemon juice: I like to use fresh lemon juice whenever possible. For a more lemony flavor, add lemon zest as well.
- Red Wine Vinegar: Quite sharp and tangy, it has smoky notes and a fuller body than you’d expect from white vinegar. It also gives a pinkish tint to the food.
- Water: In the absence of oil, water acts as an emulsifier.
Substitute Greek salad dressing ingredients
- Choose any hummus. Use flavored hummus brands or make your own to add unique flavor.
- Use bottled lemon juice in the absence of fresh lemons.
- Balsamic vinegar is often used in place of red wine vinegar. Or, choose white wine vinegar.
Cook the quinoa
I often cook quinoa and brown rice on Sundays to use in recipes I have planned for the week. Today, for example, I chose to use ready-made red quinoa for my Quinoa Greek Salad.
Quinoa One of the easiest grains to cook and takes less than 15 minutes to prepare.
In the past, quinoa was coated with a bitter-tasting compound that needed to be rinsed. Some people, for example, call it the taste of soap.
However, today’s quinoa does not require rinsing. As a rule, though, I still rinse my quinoa in a mesh strainer Remove any debris from the bag.
Also, I cook with organic quinoa to avoid any pesticides.
- First, as previously mentioned, I always rinse my quinoa in a mesh strainer.
- Then, you want to add the quinoa and cold water to the pan before you start cooking.
- Once the quinoa and cold water are combined in the pan, add a pinch of salt and stir.
- Next, bring the quinoa and cold water to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to simmer, and cover for 15 minutes.
Furthermore, the addition of quinoa gives the salad texture and absorbs the dressing. Obviously, feta is not in the salad, yet it tastes like quinoa.
However, if you like feta cheese, I make great tofu feta cheese for those who enjoy a little tofu.
Assembling the Quinoa Greek Salad
- Once the quinoa has cooled, I add it to the center of the bowl and surround it with romaine lettuce (or greens of choice) and red cabbage.
- Then, add all the other ingredients around the quinoa.
- Don’t dress the salad until ready to serve, but make sure you toss it well so the quinoa absorbs all the yummy dressing.
And, then dig in!
Recipe FAQs
Most Greek dressings are vegan unless they contain feta cheese or mayonnaise. But, oil-free vegetarian Greek salad dressing is hard to find but easy to make.
Most grocery stores sell a variety of vegan feta cheese. But making your own vegan tofu feta cheese is healthy and tastes fabulous!
Banana chili tastes tangy and slightly sweet. It is not considered a hot pepper, offering either no heat or a slight tingle.
advice
- If using canned beets, place the beets on paper towels to drain and reduce the moisture content from the brine.
- Do the same for the artichoke hearts and banana peppers.
- Make sure the quinoa is cool before adding to the salad ingredients.
- So, if the dressing is cold, you can refrigerate ahead of time. If the dressing cools it becomes too thick, add water and whisk again.
- Do not dress the salad until serving.
- The dressing will last 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
Try this Quinoa Greek Salad recipe this week for a healthy meal! You’ll love the combination of ingredients and the tangy vegan Greek dressing.
More vegan salads to try!
If you like this quinoa Greek salad, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We want to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Quinoa Greek Salad
this Quinoa Greek Salad The recipe is hearty, healthy and full of fresh Mediterranean flavors! Serve it as a side dish, or enjoy it as a meal. The dressing is tangy and to die for! So, dig into this delicious vegetarian Greek salad!
instructions
Salad:
Place chopped romaine lettuce in the base of a bowl or plate.
Arrange the ingredients in a row with the quinoa in the center.
If serving in separate bowls, divide ingredients into separate bowls.
dressing
Add all ingredients to a measuring cup
Using a whisk, whisk the ingredients together.
Pour over salad and toss.
serve
Comment
- If using canned beets, place the beets on paper towels to drain and reduce the moisture content from the brine.
- Do the same for the artichoke hearts and banana peppers.
- Make sure the quinoa is cool before adding to the salad ingredients.
- So, refrigerate the dressing when it gets cold. If the dressing cools it becomes too thick, add water and whisk again.
- Do not dress the salad until serving.
- The dressing will last 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
nutrition
Calories: 643kcalSugars: 98gProtein: 22gFat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fats: 2gSodium: 300mgPotassium: 1333mgFiber: 21gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 14209IUVitamin C: 32mgCalcium: 207mgIron: 8mg
Oh! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher and vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is completely plant-based vegan. I truly believe that what we eat and how we live determines our health and the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Source link