Quinoa Mediterranean Salad

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Quinoa is the grain to be these days! It is a Super food with many health benefits.

 If you’re wondering why you should add Quinoa to your daily diet here are 7 reasons (facts courtesy of the   Mind Body Green website):

• One of the most proetein Rich foods you can eat
• Contains twice as much fiber as other grains
• Contains Iron
• Contains Lysine
• Rich in Magnesium
• High in (B2) Roboflavin
• High content of Manganese (an antioxidant)

 If the health benefits aren’t enough reason, how about it tastes good

Here’s a  yummy Quinoa summer salad recipe for you.

I like the Near East brand of foods and recently tried their Quinoa with Rosemary and Olive Oil. I find this brand is easy to prepare and the semi cooked ingredients are all natural.  I also liked that it was flavored and thought it would make a great summer salad. I prepared the Quinoa blend (it’s combined with brown rice), let it cool and then basically took whatever I had in the fridge: cherry tomatoes; red onion; and black olives from the pantry.  I seasoned it with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.  Tossed them all together and let them sit overnight. It makes a great salad the next day. As much as I love my pasta and potatoes, I would substitute with this dish at my next BBQ or just on the dinner table. 

NOTE: If I had roasted peppers or an eggplant to roast, I would’ve added those ingredients as well.

So now you know why you should be eating this super whole grain food –  and you know there is a brand that turns out a great product – go ahead and give this recipe a try!

 Checkout the Near East website to see where you might be able to find this product.  I know Whole Foods carries it.

 Preparing the entire package should yield about 6  (1 cup) servings.

Simple Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Quinoa and brown rice salad, with hints of rosemary, olive oil, red onions, olives, tomatoes, in a balsamic dressing.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• 1 Box of Near East Quinoa with Rosemary and Olive Oil
• 1/2 medium red onion dices
• 1 small container of cherry tomaotes halved
• 1/2 Can of Black Olives sliced
• Balsamic vinegar to taste
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil to taste

Instructions

 

• Prepare the Quinoa according to the box
• Dice and slice the ingredients above
• Once cooked Quinoa is at room temperature, add the onion, olives, and tomatoes
• Mix together then drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil and add balsamic vinegar to taste
• Mix and let sit overnight.

Notes

Additional items to add:
Roasted Eggplant
Roasted Peppers

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!