Serves 6-8
My love for Mediterranean salads started during my freshman year of college. I was employed at Noodles & Company and the employee benefit on a day of work was 70% off any lunch-sized item. The Med Salad became a serious staple in my diet, as I probably had it for lunch 2-3 times every week. Once moving outside of the dorms, meal prepping became a part of my weekly routine. I wanted to create a salad that could stay in the refrigerator for the entire week. Including lettuce in my recipe would be rather difficult for the salad to stay fresh so it did not make the ingredient list. Below is the recipe that I created as a college student on a budget. I decided to add quinoa and lentils to the salad to ensure carbs and protein were included to keep myself full for a longer period of time. No one wants to become hangry in classes and lose focus!! Enjoy this easy-to-prepare and delectable Mediterranean dish! You can eat it as a side or for a full meal.
Ingredients:
Salad
· 2 cucumbers diced
· 1 container of cherry tomatoes
· 2 red peppers diced
· 1 red onion diced
· 1 cup of Kalamata olives
· ½ cup dried lentils
· ½ cup dried quinoa
Dressing
· 1 minced garlic clove
· 3 Tbsp olive oil
· 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
· 1 tsp of oregano
· ½ tsp thyme
· ½ tsp of basil
· ½ tsp salt
· ¼ tsp of black pepper
· 1 tsp honey
Instructions for Mediterranean Salad:
1. Boil ½ cup of lentils and ½ cup of quinoa until ready. This may take 15-20 minutes.
2. While lentils and quinoa are boiling, wash all vegetables.
3. Dice cucumbers, red peppers, tomatoes, onion, and Kalamata olives into small bite-size pieces.
4. Place all the diced vegetables into a bowl.
5. Strain your lentils and quinoa with cold water. When they are chilled, add to the bowl of vegetables.
6. Make and add your dressing to the bowl. Instructions for dressing are below.
7. Stir the salad and dressing together.
8. Serve & Enjoy
Instructions for the Mediterranean Dressing:
1. Take out a small bowl or Mason jar.
2. Peel and mince one clove of garlic. Place in your container.
3. Add wet ingredients to your container including olive oil, red wine vinegar, and honey.
4. Add dry ingredients to your container including oregano, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper.
5. Give your bowl a stir or your Mason jar a shake.
6. Pour over salad and mix.
Additional Information
Kalamata olives are difficult to find in Costa Rica as opposed to green and black olives. When you find Kalamata olives, they are a bit pricey when compared to the United States. However, you will find that any packaged product in a box, jar, or can is pretty pricey if not made directly in Costa Rica. This salad can still be delectable if you are not able to find Kalamata olives.
When eating this salad for individual meals, I leave the dressing in the mason jar for the week. I add the dressing right before leaving for work or enjoying my salad. This ensures that my vegetables stay fresh for the entire week. We don’t want our meal prepping time going to waste!
I often like to use more oregano in my Mediterranean dressing because I enjoy the flavor over the others. I use 1 tsp of oregano in this recipe, but only ½ tsp of basil and thyme. If you are not someone that cooks often at home, you may not have these different herbs. You can use 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning mix in place of the 3 herbs. Traditionally, the Italian seasoning mix contains oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram. If anything, you will just have a little more spice in your dressing. Cooking shouldn’t be complicated, and this change may make it easier for you. I often did this when I was in college!
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