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Well guys it is 2013! And I want to clean!

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I know I am a crazy person! But with all twenty-one of our guest leaving today the house needs a good scrubbing, a trip to the store and some organization!

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It always feel’s good to get back in the swing of things! Well at least for me. I know some people who would argue that (and who think I am a nut case)!

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We have had so much fun over the last two weeks. They were filled with family and friends and LOTS of good food! Dinners have been beef tenderloin with blue cheese and herb butter, turkey with gravy and mashed potatoes, stuffed sun-dried tomato chicken with penne and brussels sprouts, pulled BBQ Pork (soo good, recipe soon!), my aunt Katie’s white lasagna and then there was New Years Eve.

New Years Eve I made a mexican feast! Filled with homemade hot tamales, Queso Fundidio, mexican rice ane homemade guacamole. It was a delicious way to ring in the new year.

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With all the cleaning and organizing I thought this light and yummy quinoa salad would be perfect to keep us going. It’s great packed up for lunch, a nice side to some grilled steak or chicken for dinner or even a good light dinner. It is chuck full of protein from the quinoa and loaded with tons of antioxidants from the tomatoes, olives, and spinach. Throw in some crumbled feta cheese and you will feel like you are sailing the Mediterranean!

Yum-oh! (No, I promise I do not watch a lot of Rachel Ray. It is just that my cousins say Yum-oh all the time and after two weeks it is catching on)

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Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 221 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry quinoa
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups sliced grape tomatoes
  • 1 cup spinach chopped
  • 1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives
  • 4 ounces feta cheese about a half cup
  • 1 tablespoon kalamata olive juice the brine that olives are jarred in
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp dry oregano
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  • Combine the water and quinoa in a medium sized pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and let cook for about 15 minutes, or until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water. Fluff with a fork.
  • Well the quinoa cooks make the dressing. Combine the olive oil, olive juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine the sliced tomatoes, olives and spinach. Add quinoa and mix well. Drizzle the dressing on top and add feta cheese.
  • Toss everything together. Serve immediately or store in the fridge until serving.
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Starting the new year off right!

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Comments

  1. Hi! I am making this for my lunches this week, I imagine its best to add the ingredients day by day instead of all at once? I am hoping to get my lunches Monday- Thursday or Friday with this recipe 🙂 I love all your recipes! Thank you

  2. Absolutely loved this recipe. As you always encourage to sub with what we have on hand I used arugula instead of spinach and feta stuffed green olives for the Kalamatas. Added a little lemon zest and juice as I could not get much juice from the olive pack. This will be on rotation this summer. Light and delicious!

    1. Hey Stacy,
      Happy Friday!!🍪🍦 Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xT

  3. This was an easy salad to make and very tasty. It was better tasting a couple of hours later. I will definitely make this again.

  4. I found this recipe on Pinterest, made it for the first time this week and it is delicious!! It will definitely be in my normal rotation!
    I just recently discovered Quinoa and have been looking for simple, after work recipes I can throw together for just myself. I cut this recipe in half and it was a perfect meal for me. Thanks so much for sharing this!

    1. I am so glad you loved this! Thanks for giving the recipe a try and letting me know! I love comments like these!

  5. I jut made this and turned out great, i can’t stop eating it. I don’t like olives so I left those out and added red onions but still used the olive juice. I also added kale and a tablespoon of Udo’s Oil to the dressing. Thanks for an amazing recipe, I will be making this for every picnic all summer long.

    1. I bet red onions were so good in this!! Yum! I am so glad you loved it and thank you so much for telling me! I LOVE comments like these!

  6. I am not overly fond of feta cheese….is there another cheese that you think might go well with the recipe?

      1. If you add basil with the mozzarella substitution, it would be like a caprese salad variation. Doing it!!!

  7. I bought quinoa for the first time and made this recipe today. Super quick and easy and salad was excellent! I just added a little fresh basil to it because, well I’m addicted to basil…Can’t wait for leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

  8. This sounds like such a refreshing salad. Pinned to try! Thank you for sharing at All My Bloggy Friends last week. I look forward to seeing what you share this week 🙂

  9. Beautiful photos and wonderful salad!
    It is actually one of our favorite salad, and we have it quite often of Fri-dinner

  10. This looks delicious! You are a featured favorite this week on Saturday Show & Tell at Cheerios and Lattes! Thanks so much for sharing last week, we can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to this week!
    Have a great weekend,
    Mackenzie 🙂