Lemony Herb-Loaded Chopped Greek Salad

Guys. Can’t stop won’t stop with this Lemony Herb-Loaded Chopped Greek Salad!

All the textures! Flavors! Colors!

It’s waking my mouth up in the best possible way.

Chopped Greek Salad situation: we’ve got quinoa, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, greens if you want them, herbs by the bucket full, red onion, kalamata olives, and radishes if you’re feeling fancy. Toss that all up extra-generously with olive oil and lemon juice and salt and pepper (don’t be shy – a salty Greek salad is a good Greek salad), and you are ready to rock and roll your way to the most tangy, bright, can’t-get-enough, fresh n’ clean eating.

You totally could and should add feta cheese if you are into the whole CRUMBLY DELICIOUS CHEESE thing – I am very much into it, but I didn’t have any feta on hand any of the 90 times that I made this salad, so bonus clean eating points for me? Or something. But seriously. Add feta, or pepperoncini, or grilled chicken or shrimp or hummus – this combo is yours for the taking.

Chopped Greek Salad TRUE CONFESSIONS:

• Anytime a recipe calls for 3 cups – I repeat 3 CUPS – of herbs, you know it’s going to be lined up perfectly in our food zone. Guys, I love so much flavor that sometimes I probably overwhelm you. Thanks for sticking with me and this blog when I call for 3 cups of herbs. This recipe would totally get rejected from places like my beloved hometown church cookbook where every precious recipe is seasoned with the tiniest little amount of spice and flavor – Curry Chicken: 1/8 teaspoon curry powder. God bless the people who are just mild and regular about life, myself NOT being one of them. No, we go big on the lemon-onion-herb flavor game. This is very tabbouleh-like in terms of its taste and textural make-up, so embrace the herbs. Basil, mint, and parsley are my standbys but I sort of also love the idea of dill. Can someone make that happen?
• Okay disclaimer: I don’t love red onions. I mean, I do, but gah. I cry big fat tears every time I cut them (I know, it’s probably a technique thing, can someone teach me about these things?) and the flavor just completely overwhelms me. It’s the kind of thing where you open the fridge and you’re just completely knocked out by the smell of those seemingly harmless red onions, and then you have people over, and they can smell the red onions in your fridge mixed with the smell of the cookies that you’re currently baking, and it’s gross and weird. Love/hate relationship. So here’s what I do: I soak them in cold water. I don’t remember where I learned this trick, but I use it all the time and I love it. Cut those onions and then while you prep the rest of the vegetables, just let them hang out in a bowl of ice water to cut the bite down a little bit. No promises on the fridge smells, but they reduce the Red Onion Salad effect and make everything sing together in more of a Chopped Greek Salad way.
• I keep this salad for, like, a while. I mean, within reason, but it’s kind of like a tabbouleh which I feel can withstand a little more fridge time than your average salad, so even after I tossed the salad up with the oil and lemon juice and everything, I kept it around for up to 2 days and still found it just as delicious. The flavors sort of soak into the quinoa and, in my flavor-obsessed opinion, that is never  a bad thing.

 

This Chopped Greek Salad is what I’m eating lately and I’m super love-love-loving it.

Come on in, the water’s fine!

Lemony Herb-Loaded Chopped Greek Salad bout ta make your day amazing.

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Lemony Herb-Loaded Chopped Greek Salad

Author: Pinch of Yum

Serves: 4-6

 

Ingredients

SALAD:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 14-ounce can white beans (lentil and garbanzos are yummy too)
• 3 cups chopped tomatoes
• 3 cups chopped fresh herbs - I like mint, parsley, and basil
• 2 cups chopped red onion (one should be enough)
• 2 cups chopped cucumbers (one should be enough)
• ½ cup chopped kalamata olives

DRESSING:

• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• lemon juice

Instructions

1. Cook the quinoa according to package directions. While the quinoa cooks, chop all your veggies.
2. Toss everything together!
3. Dress to taste with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Notes

This is so so so versatile. Add whatever you like. I actually kept it in the fridge for three days AFTER being tossed together and it was still really tasty. Just ate it for lunch today, actually. :) It resembles tabbouleh in texture so it's not a big deal if it sops together for a day or two. Also, if you want to liven it up, just toss in a handful of greens.

3.5.3208

 

Nutrition information includes 1/3 cup olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt / 6 servings.

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