I’m all about pre-prepared meals to make super quick lunches, they’ve become a game changer for me over the past 2 years. Having something delicious already made in the fridge that I can literally just throw on top of some salad leaves like this rainbow quinoa salad topper, means that I don’t have to even think about what I’m going to have for lunch – it’s there ready to go!
What I like to call ‘salad toppers’ are my go-to healthy lunches for the week. I tend to batch cook a grain on Sunday and throw in whatever vegetables that I have from that week’s grocery shop, sprinkle over some feta cheese and that’s lunches sorted for the rest of the week. Since mastering the art of the ‘salad topper,’ quinoa has become one of my favourite grains to use. It’s extremely versatile, satisfying and not so heavy on the stomach (in my opinion) like some other grains.
Get ahead and pre-prepare this healthy rainbow quinoa salad topper. So easy to make and takes the thinking out of lunch – it’s there ready to go!
- 200g uncooked quinoa
- 12 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 100 g cucumber sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh mint
- 2 tbsp coriander
- 50 g feta cheese
- lemon juice from half a lemon
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1-2 tsp honey
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In a saucepan, bring some water to the boil and cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions.
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Next, prepare and chop all of the vegetables.
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Once the quinoa is cooked, pour it into a large bowl and add the vegetables and crumble in the feta cheese.
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In a separate bowl, add the oil, vinegar, honey and lemon juice and mix together. Pour over the quinoa salad and stir together.
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Serve and enjoy!
How simple is that? No faff cooking at it’s best and it will keep you stocked up on lunches all week long. If you’re like me, then you will get 4 super-sized portions out of this mix, however, you can easily get 4-6 portions too. This stores well in an air-tight container in the fridge for a week, well, if it’s not all gone before the week’s out.
Whether it’s eaten as a main or used as a side dish with some grilled meat or fish, these flavours really work well with pretty much anything. There is a lot going on to keep your taste buds happy in terms of textures and flavours and I found this to be really filling with all that protein from the quinoa, vegetables, and cheese.
I often make big batches of salads, but I prefer your idea to make up a batch of grains. Then I can vary the salads throughout the week. Love your quinoa salad topper!
I reckon I’d be happy to eat this most lunch times. I think I need to take your tip and cook up a load of quinoa, so I can make salads quickly and easily with it.
I don’t have quinoa often, but love the look of this salad!
That salad is practically crying to be eaten. That is how delicious it looks yum. Better than your average sandwich for sure x
Mmm yummy this looks so healthy, yummy and colouful too. Love salads 🙂 xx
I too love either to prepare lunches and love batch cooking on weekends but not done so for a while purely due to laziness and traveling too much lol.
This Quinoa salad topper looks delicious
I’m not normally a salad person but this looks so tasty and delicious! x
I’ve not tasted quinoa yet but this sounds like a good recipe to try it with I love that you made such a pretty salad.
I never think to add quinoa to my salad but it’s such an incredible idea! I’m normally still hungry after a salad but this would help me stay fuller longer.
I love quinoa and regularly make it for my packed lunches, I love that you can throw in whatever veggies you have and it’s always delicious.
Oooh this looks absolutely delicious! I must try and make this myself! xo
How gorgeous is this salad. I am currently on a diet and this looks like something that would be perfect for me.
I love quinoa in salads and the recipe looks very delicious 🙂
That just looks so tasty! Really colourful and fresh, I love Quinoa anyway so this would be right up my street x
Mmmm, this looks absolutely delish – and guilt free too! x