Vegan Greek Quinoa Salad

This Vegan Greek Quinoa Salad is fresh, colorful, and served with a delicious homemade dressing. It makes the perfect healthy lunch, or serve it with hummus and pita bread for a more filling dinner.

I LOVE kalamata olives so much. I was thinking about olives when I decided to make this recipe. I wanted to create some type of Greek salad, but I also wanted to use something a little more filling than lettuce as a base.

In comes Quinoa! I mean I've had quinoa salads before, so why not put a Greek spin on one. Quinoa makes an excellent salad base. Here is why:

I cup of quinoa has 222 calories, 5 grams of fiber, 8 grams of protein (complete), 15% daily recommended iron, and only 4 grams of fat.

That's pretty amazing, especially if you are vegan and looking to up your protein intake. There are so many ways to eat quinoa! But today let's focus on making this delicious Vegan Greek Quinoa Salad.

Vegan Greek Quinoa Salad Ingredients

• Quinoa- This makes the base of the salad.
• Kalamata Olives- The recipe calls for ½ cup, but I always throw in a few more. They really make the salad!
• Vegetables- I use tomatoes, cucumbers, orange bell pepper, and red onion. Theses colorful veggies make a beautiful salad. But so many different types of veggies would work, so feel free to use what you have.
• Homemade Dressing- This dressing is so flavorful! Just whisk the following ingredients together in a bowl: olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic powder, dried dill, dried oregano, maple syrup, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Believe me, it's worth the little bit of extra effort to make this dressing.

How to Make Vegan Greek Quinoa Salad

This salad is so easy to make. Follow these instructions:

1. Combine Quinoa and 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. This can be done ahead of time.
2. Prepare dressing by combining olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, dill, oregano, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Allow flavors to come together while prepping veggies.
3. Dice cucumber, onion, and bell pepper. Slice tomatoes and olives in half lengthwise.
4. Combine cooled quinoa, vegetables, and olives in a large bowl. Pour dressing on top and mix well.
5. Garnish with fresh parsley or mint.
6. This salad can be eaten right away, but it is better if it is refrigerated for an hour to let the flavors come together.
7. Happy Eating!

Helpful Tips

• For a more flavorful quinoa, try cooking it in low sodium vegetable broth instead of water.
• This salad taste even better the next day, so it's a great make-ahead dish.
• For a more filling meal, serve it with warm pita and hummus-YUM! Or do like my husband and put a scoop of hummus right on top of the salad- it just works!

I hope you guys give this recipe a try. Let me know if you do and as always...

HAPPY EATING!

Crystal

📖 Recipe