Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Sometimes, I wake up craving salad. I have a hard time eating too many 'lunch' foods before 9 am, but when you want cucumbers, you want cucumbers. The last time this happened (2 days ago), I decided a green smoothie would be the way to go. I made the smoothie and started drinking it...but it was just too sweet. I wanted ONIONS. I wanted CHEEZE. I wanted a salad. To add a bit of protein and circumvent the fact that I didn't actually have any greens, I subbed in a healthy serving of quinoa and mixed in some of my favorite super fresh, summer flavors like radish, lemon, and fresh pear tomatoes straight from the garden. With all those tasty summer flavors you only need a light EEVO + lemon juice dressing and a bit of salt and pepper to round it out! This recipe is ready, start to finish, in about 30 minutes, and is ready for eating IMMEDIATELY! So snack on salad for breakfast- this salad isn't the whimpy green salad your taste buds are expecting. And I promise, it'll hold you over 'till lunch.

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups cooked quinoa (we used red quinoa, use what you prefer)
1 heaping cup of cherry or pear tomatoes, halved
1 cup cucumber, sliced & chopped
1/2 cup radishes, diced
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped basil
2 lemons, freshly squeezed (about 1/3 -1/2 cup juice)
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup vegan cheeze crumbles (we used Teese Mozzarella!)

DIRECTIONS:
Cook quinoa according to package instructions. (Normally 1 cup quinoa + 1 1/2 cups water, bring to boil, simmer till water is absorbed.) Set aside to let cool completely before mixing in veggies.
Once cooled, toss in tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, green onions, parsley, basil, lemon juice, & olive oil. Toss to combine. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Add in cheeze crumbles and toss gently to incorporate. Refrigerate until serving, makes 8 servings. Leftovers save well in a sealed container for 3-4 days. Enjoy!

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