Vegetable Quinoa Salad with Honey Lemon Vinaigrette

I love shopping at my local farmers market in the summer months to add to this quinoa salad. They have organic and local fruits vegetables, beautiful flowers and local restaurants at set up stands. This veggie quinoa salad is one my favorite meals to make after going to the farmers market because it is an easy fresh farm to table meal perfect for summer. Walking up and down the aisles of stands always inspires me. The honey lemon vinaigrette keeps the salad moist and adds a sweet, acidic flavor.

Vegetable Quinoa Salad with Honey Lemon Vinaigrette

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Quinoa – Cooking the quinoa in chicken broth makes for a more flavorful quinoa. Water can be substituted for the chicken broth in a pinch.
• Zucchini – Zucchini or courgette is a summer squash with a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Try swapping or supplementing the zucchini with yellow squash. I like to cook the zucchini until it’s golden brown for added flavor.
• Corn – While I use fresh corn in this recipe, frozen corn can easily be thawed and substituted in this recipe.
• Tomato – Diced Roma tomatoes are used in this recipe. They have a low-moisture content and big acidic tomato flavor. They can easily be swapped with beefsteak tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes.
• Feta – Feta cheese has a tangy and salty flavor. It’s frequently used in Greek cooking and is typically made from sheep’s milk. It complements the vegetables and quinoa in this fresh summer salad.

How to Make Vegetable Quinoa Salad

1. Cook the quinoa. In a medium saucepan over medium heat bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the quinoa, and cook covered on medium-low heat until the broth is absorbed and the quinoa is tender.
2. Fluff the quinoa. Drain the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer if needed, then return to the pan and fluff with a fork. Cover the quinoa and set aside.
3. Make the honey lemon dressing. Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
4. Cook the vegetables. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Next, add the garlic, zucchini and corn and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes.
5. Season the vegetables. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Stir in chopped tomato and sliced green onion.
6. Combine the ingredients. In a large bowl combine the quinoa, vegetables and vinaigrette stirring to coat all the ingredients evenly. Add half of the feta cheese and stir to combine.
7. Serve. To serve the vegetable quinoa salad, top with the remaining feta cheese, parsley and dill. Serve either warm or cold.

Other Recipes to Try

If you like this vegetable quinoa salad recipe, try these others:

• Summer Panzanella Salad
• Heirloom Tomato & Grilled Veggie Salad with Burrata
• Summer Lobster & Corn Rigatoni
• Cherry Tomato “Naked Bruschetta” Crostini

Vegetable Quinoa Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Serves 8

Ingredients:

For the quinoa:

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup uncooked white quinoa

For the honey lemon vinaigrette:

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic minced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper

For the vegetables:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into half moons
• 2 ears corn, cut off the cob
• Kosher salt, as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
• 1 medium Roma tomato, cored and diced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill

Instructions:

For the quinoa:

• In a medium saucepan over medium heat bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the quinoa, and cook covered on medium-low heat until the broth is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 25 minutes.
• Drain the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer, then return to the pan and fluff with a fork. Cover the quinoa and set aside.

For the Honey Lemon dressing:

• Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.

For the Vegetables:

• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, zucchini and corn and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes.
• Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Stir in chopped tomato and sliced green onion.
• In a large bowl combine the quinoa, vegetables and vinaigrette stirring to coat all the ingredients evenly. Add half of the feta cheese and stir to combine.

For serving:

• To serve, top with the remaining feta cheese, parsley and dill. Serve either warm or cold.

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