MEDITERRANEAN QUINOA BOWL
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 9:18AM 
We needed something straight forward. Last week's attempt for a post of braised leeks and romesco sauce ended up looking overcooked and sloppy. We tried to plate it nicely, and Hugh dug around trying to find the perfect dish to distract from the mooshness, but it wasn't happening. We stared at it, eating the finished product while deliberating a nice presentation. Call it coincidence, but we'd eaten 'our post' just as we decided the mooshness did not have a place in the blogsphere. I was left no other option but to make something that would undoubtedly be nice and clean.
Simple as this is, I know there is a need for recipes that come together quickly, are nutritionally well rounded and require no fuss. This salad of sorts is gluten free, high in plant protiens and is just as good, if not better, the next day for lunch over some salad greens with another little squeeze of lemon. All these ingredients are pretty well received, so I think it would be a great make ahead dish for a luncheon, bridal shower or what not with all the pretty colors. There are circumstances where you don't want to take a risk, and this bowl is as reliable as they come.
MEDITERRANEAN QUINOA BOWL // Serves 2 big eaters, maybe 3 medium eaters
1 Cup Quinoa, dry
4 Broccolinis
4 to 6 oz. Block of Feta Cheese, cut in cubes
1 Cup Roasted Red Peppers, cut in slivers (I use jarred in the off season)
1/4 Cup Capers, rinsed and drained
1 Cup Chickpeas, cooked
3 Tbsp. Flat Leaf Parsley, finely chopped
2 tsp. Dried Oregano
Generous pinch of Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
1 Meyer Lemon
1 Tbsp. Good Quality Olive Oil
1. For the quinoa, typically, bring two cups water and one cup dry quinoa to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Place the broccolini right on top after ten minutes (who wants to dirty another pot?) and cover to finish the quinoa and the broccolini will steam on top. Remove the broccolini to a cutting board, and transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and fluff with a fork.
2. Toss the red pepper slivers, chickpeas, capers, dried oregano and salt and pepper to the quinoa and stir. Give the broccolini a rough chop and toss it in the bowl. Squeeze the juice of the entire meyer lemon (avoiding seeds) and the olive oil, stir again.
3. Lastly, cut the feta into small cubes (easiest if done straight from the fridge or even let it sit in the freezer for a few minutes). Add the cubes and the parsley to the quinoa and give it a gentle fold. At this point, it is probably a tad warmer than room temperature, which is great. If you'd rather it cold, let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes to cool down.
Reader Comments (76)
This looks so incredible. I love quinoa, but sometimes get board of it plain and run out of ideas. I think I will be making this tonight!!
i hear RR doesn't take kindly to competition. i suggest draining your bank accounts and going into hiding. now.
Looks amazing! I have been wanting to cook with quinoa and lately I have been craving something nutrient-rich like this! Thanks, Sara!
I have 4 pounds of quinoa in my cabinet, I am always looking for new ideas! Thanks!
yup, this looks like dinner.
I absolutely LOVE quinoa AND Greek flavors so this is on the top of my "to cook" list! And there is definitely nothing "mooshy" about this dish :) great job pal!
Looks wonderful! I love quinoa. In fact, I love all the ingredients in this meal... must make this soon.
Beautiful indeed. I am always looking for interesting quinoa recipes because I love it so much and I have a giant bag of it from Costco!
Just beautiful! I've had dishes I cooked and they just looked like moosh -- sometimes I post them and sometimes I just can't justify it on aesthetic grounds.
I would use piquillo peppers (my current obsession -- a little more flavor than plain red -- Trader Joe's sells them jarred and they're SO good) and salted capers, but that's just because I'm OBSESSED with salted capers.
I've done Mexican-esque quinoa and a broccoli and prosciutto quinoa but this is next on the list! Thank you for sharing.
being a vegetarian, i must say, quinoa is a godsend. love love love it. this is super fab. gonna try it! promise. you never disappoint, friend. way to be ;)
How did you know that I've been looking for more stuff to do with quinoa? I can't wait to try this. Thank you so much!
This sounds like something especially made for me! I love all those flavors and textures. I think I'd polish it off with a dollop of hummus too.
The sight of this salad elevated my heart rate slightly, for real.
That is a beautiful dish!
This looks absolutely gorgeous, and I LOVE quinoa! Thanks for posting such a great recipe. I will probably try this in a couple of days.
Looks great and exactly what I needed!
A very beautiful dish!
Perfect timing -- I just bought a big bag of quinoa and have been bookmarking things to do with it. Looks great!
Quinoa's just the grain that keeps on giving! Have you tried red quinoa? Would add a lovely splash of colour to the dish
Oh, this looks absolutely delectable! Feta + fluffy quinoa sounds good to me! And so colorful, too!
You've done it yet again! Quinoa is one of my faves :) Can't wait to try this! All the recipes I've tried have gotten the best compliments ever. Thank you for sharing your talent with us Sara!
Looks superb!
Beautiful. Our eating recently has been dictated by your stunning recipes, and we have never been so content and well fed! This will definitely be added to this week's menu.
gorgeous! i'm an on again/off again quinoa fan. but right now, i'm liking it. i've been wanting to make some 'quinoa oatmeal' but now i'm tempted to instead use it for something like this - thanks!
I love quinoa. This recipe is definitely one I have to try.
I just stumbled upon this blog and LOVE it! I have had a huge bag of Quinoa from Costco sitting on my shelf for weeks. I made this recipe for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I added in kalamata olive slives which was a yummy addition.
I love foods with such great color! And the recipe sounds good and solid, exactly what I want to eat on days where I don't have time to be in the kitchen, but want something healthy.
Yum! I love quinoa!! I make something kinda like this with couscous, but I've never thought of quinoa. We'll definitely have to try this one. Thanks!
It's like you knew I just had a big box of quinoa, waiting for inspiration....This looks GREAT. You're right--we need more recipes out there are both lovely and nutritious. This fits the bill nicely.
Your photos are stunning as always, and I need more broccolini in my life! I've been cooking with a lot of whole grains lately but for some reason quinoa kind of slipped my mind. I can't wait to try this!
Oh that's just beautiful! Isn't quinoa a gift from God?! I love the contrasting colors of red, green and white. It looks incredible.
This is a keeper! Is there an easy way to print just the recipe on your site? Thanks!
Yeah you're right...Red quinoa would have been overkill and the dish is quite colourful not I think of it. I'll have to try it out :)
What a pretty salad. Such bright colors would be lovely on a drab wintery day. Quinoa is a common dish in my kitchen and I love finding new ideas for it- sweet roasted peppers and pungent feta make a great combination. And capers! That's lively!
yay! I love that so many of you love quinoa, and apparently have big bags of it. Thus, I will be inventing more combinations for your reading pleasure.
@Lauren - that comment made my day :)
You know how a good mush bowl thrills me. I'm going to pretend you had me in mind when creating this dish.
This looks really good. I can't wait to try it and the family will love it! Thanks for these wonderful recipes!!! Keep up the good work.
Looks sooooooo good!
All of those colors together are beautiful!
un mot, un seul : PERFECT !
I have to thank you for an amazingly simple yet oh so delicious meal! We enjoyed this last night and I have to say the combination of flavours are incredible - a family favourite in the making, thank you!
this looks fantastic! more to the point, it tastes brilliant, obviously, from the ingredient list alone. i love the idea of quinoa and chickpeas, esp. with all those veg and feta thrown in for texture and taste. lovely.
Your veggie related posts always make my mouth water. I want this.
I've never seen broccoli look so good. Really, that photo is amazing. I pretty much have all these ingredients stocked right now. I think this will be dinner tomorrow.
Looks good! I have one quinoa dish I've been stuck on for the past six months. It'll be nice to have another easy one I can rely on to shake things up a bit.
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This looks delicious! I am always looking for new quinoa inspirations. Thanks!
So colorful!
This is one gorgeous salad! What a lot of terrific flavors going on in here!