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A flavorful, satisfying salad that combines spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, quinoa and feta cheese with a Greek-style dressing flavored with lemon juice and oregano.
This easy variation on a classic Greek salad replaces the lettuce with fresh spinach and adds quinoa for extra nutrition, flavor and texture. It can be served either as a side dish or main course or combined with cooked chicken or shrimp to make an even heartier version.
Greek Spinach and Quinoa Salad
A flavorful, satisfying salad that combines spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, quinoa and feta cheese with a Greek-style dressing flavored with lemon juice and oregano.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup quinoa
- 1-1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 6 to 8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, or more to taste
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1 large tomato, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 3 to 4 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ounces feta cheese, finely crumbled
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine strainer, drain and transfer it to a saucepan. Add the vegetable broth, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the quinoa is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes.
- While the quinoa cooks, whisk 4 tablespoons of olive oil together with the red wine vinegar, garlic and oregano. Once the quinoa is cooked, remove it from the heat, add the oil-vinegar mixture and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the cucumber, tomato, spinach and red onion. Drizzle with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper. Add the quinoa mixture and feta cheese, toss again and add more olive oil if needed.
- If desired, add 3/4 lb cooked chicken or shrimp to make 4 main course servings.
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