Name: Recipe for Colorful Quinoa Salad
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: 10 (1 cup) servings
Cuisine: Salads
Ingredients: 1 1/2 quinoa; 2 1/2 water; 1-1 1/2 salt (to taste); 1/2 garlic powder; 1/2 green onions, sliced ¼-inch thick; 1 2-oz. can black olives, sliced; 3/4 red bell pepper, diced; 3/4 yellow bell pepper, diced; 1 garbanzos, rinsed and drained; 1 1/2 English cucumber, diced small; 6 lemon juice (or to taste), freshly squeezed

Mound of quinoa on white surface with red bell pepper garnish

Salads Lemony and Oil-Free

Quinoa lends itself nicely to no-oil dressings because of its moist, glossy finish. When served with golden (white) quinoa, the colorful vegetables make a beautiful presentation for potlucks and group functions. This is also a delicious dish for brown-bagging and daily lunches. No matter how you serve it, this salad is a winner!

Colorful Quinoa Salad

Recipe courtesy of

Heather Leno

Prep Instructions

Yield: 10 (1 cup) servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Recipe Ingredients

1 1/2 cups quinoa
2 1/2 cups water
1-1 1/2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup green onions, sliced ¼-inch thick
1 2-oz. can black olives, sliced
3/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
3/4 cup yellow bell pepper, diced
1 cup garbanzos, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups English cucumber, diced small
6 tablespoons lemon juice (or to taste), freshly squeezed

Put quinoa in a fine-mesh colander and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Drain well.
In a saucepan, combine water and rinsed quinoa; stir in garlic powder. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for five minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.
Prepare vegetables and garbanzos while quinoa is cooking and cooling.
Sprinkle salt evenly over quinoa; add vegetables, garbanzos, and lemon juice. Stir, folding carefully from all sides to blend salt and lemon completely. Taste and make adjustments as needed.
Chill for 30 minutes. Stir before serving.