A Mediterranean quinoa bowl with yogurt tzatziki and a quick pickled onion cucumber salad. WHOA! This healthy salad is loaded with feta, kalamata olives, and hummus. What really makes this dish amazing is the extra step of toasting the quinoa in a spice oil with pumpkin seeds.
1/2cupkalamata olivespreferably with peppers (and no pits)
1/2cuphummusplain or roasted red pepper
pita chips
2ozfeta in brine
Instructions
Cook the Quinoa
In a small pot, toast the quinoa over medium heat until dry and nutty smelling. Add salt and boiling water, quickly covering with a lid.
Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 more minutes. Remove lid and fluff quinoa with a fork, draining excess water with a strainer.
Add olive oil to a large skillet and warm over medium heat. Add coriander, cumin, and pumpkin seeds and infuse the oil for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Spread the quinoa on top and leave to get crispy for 5 at least minutes. Scrape under the quinoa with a spatula and flip over to crisp the other side. Top with a sprinkle of fresh oregano leaves.
Yogurt Sauce
Add all the yogurt ingredients to a small bowl and stir with a spoon until smooth and creamy.
Cucumber and Onion Quick Pickles
Add all the quick pickle ingredients to a medium bowl and toss around a bit. Let sit for at least 15 minutes to pickle.
Arrange the Mediterranean Bowls
Spoon hot quinoa into bowls and add yogurt sauce, quick pickles, kalamata olives, hummus, and pita chips. Sprinkle with feta crumbles.
Video
Notes
Quinoa -
You can use any color quinoa in this dish. A good substitute for quinoa would be lentils (Oh that sounds yummy).
Shallot -
The shallot is used in the yogurt sauce, but you could just as easily use the red onion (that you will also use in the salad).
Kalamata Olives -
Some pit-less olives contain bits of pit so beware of this when working with kalamata olives.
Vegan or Vegetarian -
You can use a non-dairy plain yogurt or goat yogurt if lactose intolerant. In place of the feta, you can use a fermented vegan cheese to get the tangy flavor.