Brown Rice & Quinoa Salad
This vibrant Mediterranean brown rice and quinoa salad combines nutty grains with vegetables like tomatoes, chick peas & Kalamata olives, all tossed in a lemon dill tzatziki dressing. Topped with crumbled feta and hummus, it’s a nutritious and refreshing side dish or vegetarian entree.
What You Will ❤️ About Mediterranean Brown Rice & Quinoa Salad
- Easy to Make – Other than cooking the rice & quinoa – there’s no cooking here!
- Super Healthy – chick peas, whole grains, hummus – so much good stuff! And 6 grams of fiber in each cup!
- Great for Lunch – This is great for my vegetarian to pack for lunch!
Brown Rice & Quinoa Salad Ingredients
I’m hosting an Exchange Student who happens to be mainly vegetarian – so that means – she’s not eating a school lunch! We’ve been creative with cooking delicious quiches, puff pastry tarts and salads!
- Cooked brown rice & quinoa – For this recipe – I used the microwaveable pre-cooked quinoa & brown rice mix – but you could make your own.
- Grape tomatoes – or cherry tomatoes – use what you like!
- Chickpeas – drained chick peas or garbanzo beans are great protein. These add a bit of crunch to the salad.
- Kalamata Olives – I’m a huge fan of Kalamata but any olives will work
- Red onion – 1/2 small red onion is plenty for this
- Feta Cheese – I like to buy the chunk feta and crumble it myself – you get better chunks!
- Plain Greek yogurt – you could also use sour cream but the plain Greek yogurt is best
- Cucumber – I used about 1/2 of a LARGE cucumber. I peeled and grated it – then be sure to squeeze out the excess water before mixing.
- Fresh Dill – you can use jarred dill weed but fresh is always best for more flavor!
- Lemon – try and use fresh lemon for this. You could also use limes as well.
- Hummus – I love the taste of Sabra Hummus but use your favorite!
Recipe Variations
We loved this salad just as-is – but there are definitely some swaps you could make! Here are a few ideas for this quinoa & brown rice salad:
- More Veggies – avocado & red bell pepper would be a great addition
- Different Dressing – you could use a Greek vinaigrette or even Basil Pesto
- Protein – add grilled chicken or tofu for added protein
- Southwest – swap chickpeas for black beans, feta for queso crumbles, Kalamata olives for corn and Tzatziki for a southwestern ranch (ranch + chili powder + lime juice) and fresh cilantro
- Vegan – swap the yogurt with vegan yogurt to make this recipe vegan friendly
How to make Brown Rice & Quinoa Salad Recipe
Such an easy salad to make – especially when you shortcut with the microwaveable rice/quinoa mixture! Here’s how to make this delicious, protein-filled salad:
- You can cook your own quinoa & brown rice according to package instructions. Or use a microwavable pre-packaged mix and cook according to package directions.
- While rice/quinoa is cooking, in a medium bowl, mix together dressing ingredients (grated cucumber, Greek yogurt, salt, dill and lemon juice). Refrigerate until ready to use. You can make this ahead of time.
- In a large bowl, add cooked rice & quinoa and use a fork to fluff and spread out the rice mixture. Let cool for 3-4 minutes.
- To quinoa mixture, add tomatoes, chickpeas, onion, olives & feta.
- Add in yogurt dressing mixture and toss to combine.
- Add a heaping spoonful of hummus to the bowl and serve!
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Brown Rice & Quinoa Salad
This vibrant Mediterranean brown rice and quinoa salad combines nutty grains with vegetables like tomatoes, chick peas & Kalamata olives, all tossed in a lemon dill tzatziki dressing. Topped with crumbled feta and hummus, it's a nutritious and refreshing side dish or vegetarian entree.
Ingredients
- 16 oz cooked brown rice & quinoa
- 8 oz grape tomatoes halved
- 1 cup chickpeas drained
- 1/3 cup Kalamata olives halved
- 1/2 cup red onion diced
- 1/3 cup feta
- 1 cup Plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup cucumber grated & drained
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1-2 tbsp fresh dill chopped
- 1/2 lemon juice
- 1/2 cup hummus
Instructions
- You can cook your own quinoa & brown rice according to package instructions. Or use a microwavable pre-packaged mix and cook according to package directions.16 oz cooked brown rice & quinoa
- While rice/quinoa is cooking, in a medium bowl, mix together dressing ingredients (grated cucumber, Greek yogurt, salt, dill and lemon juice). Refrigerate until ready to use. You can make this ahead of time.1 cup Plain Greek yogurt, 1 cup cucumber, 1/4 tsp salt, 1-2 tbsp fresh dill, 1/2 lemon
- In a large bowl, add cooked rice & quinoa and use a fork to fluff and spread out the rice mixture. Let cool for 3-4 minutes.
- To quinoa mixture, add tomatoes, chickpeas, onion, olives & feta.8 oz grape tomatoes , 1 cup chickpeas, 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, 1/2 cup red onion, 1/3 cup feta
- Add in yogurt dressing mixture and toss to combine.
- Add a heaping spoonful of hummus to the bowl and serve!1/2 cup hummus
Notes
**We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 234kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 11gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.002gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 404mgPotassium: 393mgFiber: 6gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 418IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 123mgIron: 2mg
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