Help me dress my quinoa salad
May 4, 2014 7:06 AM   Subscribe

I made a greek-inspired quinoa salad with red quinoa, chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, red pepper, parsley, and red onion. Help me give it a dressing or a sauce!

I was planning to have it with a tzatziki sauce, but something seems off with it. It's in the fridge right now, so maybe the flavors will meld more together.

Can you recommend a different light dressing that I can make that would go with the above ingredients?

I also have shredded carrots, spinach, and avocado that I can add to the salad. Oh, and goat cheese. And I can pick up anything needed for a dressing. I just have a big bowl of this that I'm going to eat all week, so I need a great sauce or dressing!

Thanks for your help!
posted by shortyJBot to Food & Drink (9 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
I would lightly dress with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. KiSS.
posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 7:13 AM on May 4, 2014 [2 favorites]


Olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt & pepper.
posted by cessair at 7:15 AM on May 4, 2014 [3 favorites]


I love this dressing and it'd be great with a Greek salad.

Lemon tahini dressing.

½ cup tahini
¾ cup water
1 lemon, juiced (about 2 or 3 tbsp)
1 large garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together. Add more water if needed.
posted by essexjan at 7:23 AM on May 4, 2014 [2 favorites]


If you're going to eat this all week I'd not dress the whole bowl, I'd dress individual portions I was about to eat. Adding salt/pepper to tomatoes and cucumbers draws out water - their textures change and there will be a lot of juices accumulating in your salad. The juices are nice the next day because flavours have mingled but I can't imagine what it'd be like at the end of the week.
posted by koahiatamadl at 7:28 AM on May 4, 2014 [1 favorite]


I do a salad similar to this with just olive oil and lemon juice (and salt and pepper) and it's perfect.
posted by freshwater at 7:35 AM on May 4, 2014


I'd do something yoghurty, like

Greek yoghurt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 small garlic clove, crushed
Chopped fresh mint or cilantro
Salt & freshly-ground black pepper
posted by Salamander at 7:35 AM on May 4, 2014 [1 favorite]


I make a similar salad with pasta or whole wheat couscous, and I always use what cessair suggested above, a red wine vinaigrette, although I usually put fresh garlic or garlic powder in mine as well.
posted by skycrashesdown at 7:51 AM on May 4, 2014


Response by poster: Thanks, guys! The tzatziki came together better after some time in the fridge, so I'm planning to mix it up and have some with the tzatziki sauce and some with just lemon and olive oil.

I had a motive of making this for both me and as a care package for someone special who I'm dating, so I wanted it to be extra good! Thanks for your help!
posted by shortyJBot at 11:14 AM on May 4, 2014


Sounds to me like it needs something salty as well - the goat cheese if it is on the harder side rather than the creamy side, otherwise feta (goaty or non-goaty) would work great and be very Greek. And/or Kalamata olives. But yes, simple olive oil and lemon. Freshly chopped mint or oregano would be good too.
posted by Athanassiel at 6:15 PM on May 4, 2014


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