Bold Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

We've been addicted to this quinoa salad for the last several weeks. Every time I get myself a serving, my husband comes in and "borrows" the bowl.  It's totally amazing, and absolutely packed with bold flavor. Seriously. Just when I think there's not something else that I could adore more about quinoa, I find another great recipe. 

 Let's talk Quinoa. Quinoa has been around long enough now in the front lines of the natural food universe that it isn't new anymore. When I first started writing this blog, it was pretty new.

Organic Grains.Com Sprouted Quinoa Tabbouleh recipe inspired me to really crank up the herbs and use some bolder flavors in my quinoa salad. This recipe is what resulted from that inspiration. I used Organic Sprouted Quinoa along with Organic Black Quinoa in this one too. Sprouting the quinoa seeds removes the naturally occurring saponines (the bitter enzyme that causes a strong flavor if quinoa is not rinsed). Using the sprouted the seeds also removes the phytic acids and take the grain through the early stages of sprouting, rendering the grain more digestible and the vitamins more accessible.

Bold Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

1 cup sprouted quinoa
2 cups boiling water
¼  cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3  cup Ahuacatlan Avocado Oil
1 ½  tsp kosher salt
1 bunch scallions, minced, white and green parts
1 ½  cup Atheno Low-fat feta cheese*
½  cup minced fresh herbs (dill, mint, parsley, oregano, flat-leaf parsley)
1 cup chopped bell peppers

1 cup Peppadew Peppers, chopped

1/2 cup roasted garlic, chopped

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

In a rice cooker, combine the sprouted quinoa and boiling water. Cook 20 minutes until tender.  Cool for at least 20 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients.  Chill. Serve. Yield 8 servings