Three-day weekends that start on Friday are the best. I love waking up on Saturday thinking it’s Sunday and then realizing I still have two full days to fiddle around in the kitchen. Case in point: I just whipped up a batch of homemade marshmallows even though we have far too manyplenty of sweets in the house, including leftover goodies from our Fourth of July family get-together.
On yesterday’s menu: barbecued pork and lamb loin chops, burgers with all the fixings, and this quinoa salad provided by yours truly. Like the Mediterranean orzo pasta salad I made for Memorial Day, this side dish packs a flavor punch and pairs well with a variety of meats. It’s filled with Feta cheese, fresh herbs and crunchy almonds and tossed in a simple sweet and sour dressing. And, like the name implies, there’s bacon in it, too. You really can’t go wrong.
Recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum.
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups frozen peas
- ½ cup Feta cheese crumbles
- 6 strips apple smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup almonds, pulsed in a food processor until coarsely chopped
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons honey
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. If you have time, chill the quinoa for a few hours before you dress it so the grains more easily separate in the salad.
- Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil; then turn off the heat. Add peas and cover until bright green; then drain immediately.
- In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, peas, Feta cheese, bacon, basil, parsley and almonds. Set aside.
- In a food processor or blender, purée all the dressing ingredients.
- Drizzle dressing over quinoa mixture and toss gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
Alison, beautiful beautiful salad!!! When I don’t see your beautiful and creative salad inventions in my IG feed, something feels off 😛 love this!!!