Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

This salad is easy to prepare, keeps well in the fridge for several days and tastes great!  The recipe was put in our local newspaper by a nutritionist.  I have tried several different quinoa salad recipes and I keep coming back to this one, my favorite!


2 cups cucumber, cubed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup red onion, cubed
1 1/2 cups red and yellow peppers, cubed
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1/2 - 1 cup feta cheese
1 1/2 cups quinoa (uncooked)
1 14oz. can of chickpeas
Dressing:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
salt and pepper to taste

In a small pot, add quinoa and three cups of water. Bring to boil, cover and reduce to low heat. Simmer for 18-20 minutes. Stir and let stand to cool.
When quinoa has completely cooled, add chopped vegetables, chickpeas and feta. Toss with dressing.

Cook's Notes:
Quinoa is sold at costco. Normally, you need to rinse the quinoa which can be challenging as it is so small. The quinoa I bought at costco is pre-rinsed.

Quinoa does look a little strange (both my husband and daughter thought so). Sarah asked me what it was and I told her it was salad. She said, "Oh good, at least it isn't couscous" and she ate several servings of it.  My daughter loves this salad, she requests it often and she makes it as well.