Quinoa, Toasted Corn and Cherry Tomato Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Feta
Sweet cherry tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, smoky toasted corn, toasted walnuts, black olives and feta cheese are tossed together with extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, parsley and mint, a tasty and flavorful salad that can be served as a side dish or a nutritious and delicious main dish!
Ingredients
| 2 | cups |
water
|
|
| 1 | cup |
quinoa
rinsed well |
|
| 1 | teaspoon |
olive oil
|
|
| 1 | clove |
garlic
or as needed, minced |
|
| 1 | cup |
corn
fresh or frozen |
|
| 8 | ounces |
tofu
baked smoked, 1 package, diced, optional |
|
| 1 | cup |
cherry tomatoes
quartered |
|
| 1 | cup |
cucumbers
diced |
|
| ¼ | cup |
black olives
cored and roughly chopped |
* |
| ½ | cup |
parsley leaves
freshly chopped |
|
| ¼ | cup |
mint leaves
freshly chopped |
* |
| 1 | each |
chipotle chili peppers
in adobo sauce, finely chopped, or to taste, optional |
* |
| ⅔ | cup |
walnuts
coarsely chopped and toasted |
|
| ½ | cup |
feta cheese
crumbled |
|
| 3 | tablespoons |
lemon juice
freshly squeezed |
|
| 3 | tablespoons |
olive oil, extra-virgin
|
|
|
salt and black pepper
to taste |
* |
Directions
Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan.
Reduce the temperature to a simmer, cover and cook until the water has been absorbed, 15 minutes, remove from the heat, and let sit for another 5 minutes.
Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set aside.
Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
Add the corn, stirring often, toast the corn for about 10 minutes until the corn turn into brown in spots. Set aside.
Put the quartered cherry tomatoes into a salad spinner, spin a few times to get rid of the excess liquid.
With a melon spoon get rid of the seeds of cucumber, cut into cubes, if still feel too much liquid, use the salad spinner to remove the extra liquid.
In a large bowl, add the corn, tofu if using, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, parsley, mint and chipotle if needed.
Add the olive oil and lemon juice, mix well.
Add the toasted walnuts and feta cheese.
Toss well to combine.
Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Serve or put in the frige for a couple of hours or overnight, the flavor will be even better.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 252g (8.9 oz)
