Artichoke and feta quinoa salad

As a great person once said: to be worth eating, salads need to have plenty of yummy bits (…yes, it was me). They can have heaps of lettuce, and even other raw veg like cucumber or tomatoes – but unless there’s something a bit special in there too, I’m not going to be interested. I love vegetables, but cold, raw vegetables don’t particularly excite me. I need me some yummy bits.

And this salad is 100% yummy bits.

Okay, I’m playing a bit fast and loose with the term ‘salad’ here – it’s more of a quinoa dish than a salad, but never mind. Top it with marinated artichoke hearts (a.k.a. my favourite thing that come in a jar, apart from maybe black olives, which are equal favourites), crumbled feta cheese, and fresh rocket, and you’ve got yourself a salad.

I made a really simple dressing to pour over the top – and when I say simple, I mean the two ingredients kind of simple. A bit of lemon juice, and a bit of the oil from the marinated artichokes. Plus a bit of salt and pepper, if you’re feeling fancy. Just whisk them together (or put them in a teeny tiny jar like I did, and give them a good shake), and your dressing is done.

I love how simple this quinoa salad is to make – I even used a sachet of pre-cooked quinoa, but only because I had some in the cupboard that needed using up. Feel free to cook your quinoa from scratch! Then you just mix everything together (or lay it all out neatly, like I did for a whole three seconds before digging in), and this quinoa salad makes a delicious lunch, or a side dish to serve alongside something tasty.

By the way, you can serve this salad warm or cold – either let your quinoa cool down after cooking (e.g. for a packed lunch!), or serve it up right away while there’s still some heat in it.

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Artichoke and feta quinoa salad

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 250 g cooked quinoa - or 100g uncooked ~2 cups, I used a mixture of red and white
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or use the oil from the marinated artichokes
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 2 pieces marinated artichoke hearts if you’re using artichoke heart quarters, you’ll need 8
• 50 g feta cheese ~1/2 cup
• Small handful rocket arugula

Instructions

• If using uncooked quinoa, simmer it in a pan of water until tender, then drain. Either set it aside to cool, or continue using the warm quinoa.
• In a mug or jar, combine the lemon juice and olive oil, along with a little salt and pepper. Mix well to emulsify.
• Roughly chop the artichoke hearts and feta cheese, and assemble the salad with the quinoa and rocket. Drizzle over the dressing just before serving.

Course: Light lunch

Author: Becca Heyes

Love artichokes? Try my vegan veggie pasta: