What do you get when you throw a whole bunch of herbs in a food processors, blend them up with a little olive oil and then toss it into a bowl of super healthy grains? Pretty much my new favorite lunch. This herbed quinoa salad is seriously packed full of flavor and then topped cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and feta. It’s pretty much a bowl full of healthy goodness. And the healthy part is key, especially since I’ve spent the last few days indulging in lots of fabulous food in Palm Springs…
These loaded salads seem to be my favorite meals these days. You can jazz them up as much as you want and load them with delicious herbs, veggies, a tad bit of cheese and lunch or dinner is pretty much ready! For this salad, I literally just used a bunch of herbs that I had leftover in my fridge that needed to be put to good use before going bad, and voila… the herbed quinoa salad was invented. You could switch up the herbs and add some basil or dill, or whatever your taste buds are craving… but don’t leave out the mint! It gives the salad an extra pop of freshness!
Herbed Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tbsp chopped tarragon
- 2 tbsp chopped mint
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- sprinkle of feta cheese
Instructions
- Place the quinoa and the chicken stock in a pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Let it cook for 15 minutes until all the water has evaporated. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- In a food processor or blender, combine the parsley, cilantro, tarragon, mint and olive oil. Pulse until the mixture turns into a pesto-looking consistency.
- Combine the herbed mixture with the cooked quinoa and toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with feta cheese to finish.
I adore quinoa and all these herbs combined with one of my favourite grains is exactly what I need!
Looking really good! I usually make something similar with couscous, but I think I will try it with quinoa next time!
Quinoa is my favorite and I might be squeaming in my chair right now.
I love quinoa, and have been looking for a nice light lunch alternative. I think this is it!
Yum! I love how light this sounds…herbs are the best!
This sounds so light and healthy. I need some light and healthy in my life right now 🙂
I love doing this too – and after hanging out with food bloggers, it’s a necessity!!
What a perfect dish for a boxed lunch! Beautiful photo and, as always, a super easy meal idea for something that tastes like it took a million hours to make. Thanks, Gaby!
I’m a big fan of quinoa, usually mixed with different grains, like millet, buckwheat or rice. Delish! I’ve never added a pesto like sauce to quinoa like this. Sometimes I have it on the side, but haven’t done the full commitment of adding the pesto TO the salad. Love it!
This looks so healthy and tasty! Yum!
Like Tabouli with a twist! Add some fresh lemon juice in there – just a bit. It will blow your mind.
Looks amazing! I love salads with fresh ingredients and a creative twist like quinoa. So healthy and vegetarian-friendly. Thanks for sharing it with your readers; I thought I’d share it with mine too (with a link back to you) on my blog: http://www.mexfoodrecipes.com. Have a great day! Maria
Always in need of good quinoa recipes! Looks tasty!
This will definitely be on my lunch list!
Love how healthy it is! I have all the ingredients, I will try it for dinner!
Love this! Reminds me of tabouli 🙂
My kind of lunch too girl! Let’s cook together one day soon.
I <3 quinoa and am always looking for new recipes. Thank you for sharing this. I can't wait to try this!
I’m definitely going to make this in bulk for work lunches all week long!