Quinoa salad with feta, peas, and corn in balsamic dressing

Ingredients

	1 cup of quinoa, such as white quinoa, red quinoa, black quinoa. I’m using tri-color (rainbow) quinoa.
	200 g (3/4 cup) of any type of feta cheese, from greek feta, crumbled feta, danish feta, etc.
	10-12 cherry tomatoes
	1 cup of fresh or frozen green peas
	1 can of pre-cooked yellow corn
	2 cups of liquid chicken stock or liquid vegetable stock. You can also use water with a stock cube.

Flavoring for the dressing:

	4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
	3 tablespoons of olive oil
	1 teaspoon of garlic powder or flakes
	Pinch of salt and pepper

How to make this quinoa salad in balsamic dressing

Cooking quinoa on the stovetop:

1. Rinse the quinoa briefly under running water.
2. Add the quinoa, water, and salt to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.
4. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
5. Let cool to room temperature.

Cooking quinoa in a rice cooker:

1. Rinse the quinoa briefly under running water.
2. Add the quinoa, water, and salt to the rice cooker and turn it on.
3. Transfer to a large bowl after the quinoa finishes cooking and fluff with a fork.
4. Let cool to room temperature.

Combining the salad with the other ingredients:

1. If using frozen peas, defrost them in the microwave for 2 minutes.
2. Drain the canned corn and combine with the peas. Heat both in the microwave for 2 minutes.
3. Chop the cherry tomatoes and feta into small quarters.
4. Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl.
5. Transfer the cooled quinoa to a large salad bowl and add the corn, peas, cherry tomatoes, feta, and dressing.
6. Toss well and serve.

Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or just looking for a healthy salad option, this quinoa and feta salad is the perfect solution. It’s got a crunchy texture and an amazing combination of flavours, plus it’s really quick to make.

As a wholesome and hearty salad, it doesn’t get much better than this. Added to the quinoa is feta cheese, which is one of the most versatile cheeses you can use in cooking. It’s a staple in Greek and Mediterranean cuisine, and adds a lot of savory flavor to the quinoa.

Along with the feta, I’ve added peas, corn and some tomatoes to get a variety of vegetables in there, but you can always switch it up with whatever you happen to have handy.

Now, I tend to use my rice maker to make quinoa because I can just turn it on and leave it, to get on with other things. But I’ve also included instructions on how to make quinoa on the stovetop.

Cooking tips

• I like to cook the quinoa in liquid stock for more flavor, but you can also use water. Another option is to use water with a cube stock.
• If you are using a rice cooker to cook the quinoa, I don’t recommend a cube stock as it will clump together and not mix well in the rice cooker.
• You can also use feta that is already marinated in herbs for extra flavor.

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