A light, fresh salad with a zesty herb vinaigrette dressing and an added richness from goat cheese. It’s vegetarian and gluten-free, and can be easily made vegan without the goat cheese.
I had some cucumbers that needed to be used, but I didn’t have any tomatoes. I’m trying to limit my trips to the grocery store these days (because COVID-19). Normally I get produce throughout the week because it’s not practical to keep a lot on hand just for one person. My go-to cucumber salad has tomatoes and onions. My grandmother’s sour cream cucumbers (it’s this tea sandwich recipe, just without the bread) wasn’t an option, either, because I didn’t have sour cream. I took a quick inventory of my ingredients and thought this would be a good use for the quinoa. I haven’t used quinoa since the stuffed peppers I made, and it really needed to be used. For vintage Pyre fans, I made this in an Amish Butterprint cinderella bowl (444).
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Continue reading past the recipe card for step-by-step photos.
Quinoa, Cucumber, & Sun Dried Tomato Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa uncooked
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 onion small to medium sized
- 1 jar sun dried tomatoes 7.5 oz jar, drained
- 5 oz goat cheese omit for vegan recipe
Dressing
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp Red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp parsley
- 1 tsp dill weed
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Stir together quinoa, vegetable stock, and salt in a medium pot. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Cover and simmer until the stock has evaporated, about 15 minutes
- Transfer the quinoa to a rimmed baking sheet and place in the refrigerator to cool, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel the cucumbers and scoop out the inside part with the seeds. Dice the cucumbers into small to medium sized pieces and set aside.
- Slice the onion thin and set aside with the cucumbers.
- Chop/crumble the goat cheese and set aside.
- Puree the sun dried tomatoes in a blender or food processor and set aside.
- Make the dressing by whisking together all of the dressing ingredients.
- Remove the quinoa from the refrigerator and transfer to a large bowl. Add the cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, and goat cheese and stir to combine.
- Add the dressing and stir until it is well-incorporated. Chill until serving.
Stir together quinoa, vegetable stock, and salt in a medium pot. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the stock has evaporated, about 15 minutes Transfer the quinoa to a rimmed baking sheet and place in the refrigerator to cool, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel the cucumbers and scoop out the inside part with the seeds. Dice the cucumbers into small to medium sized pieces and set aside. Slice the onion thin and set aside with the cucumbers.
Chop/crumble the goat cheese and set aside. Puree the sun dried tomatoes in a blender or food processor and set aside.
Make the dressing by whisking together all of the dressing ingredients.
Remove the quinoa from the refrigerator and transfer to a large bowl. Add the cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, and goat cheese and stir to combine. Add the dressing and stir until it is well-incorporated. Chill until serving.
The balance of flavors mixed perfectly with the quinoa.
So glad you liked it!