Quinoa with mixed olives & sundried tomatoes

Ingredients

For the quinoa (serves 4):

• 180gr uncooked white quinoa

• 560ml water

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 tsp tomato purée (good quality)

• Salt to taste

For the mixture:

• 200gr goat milk Feta, cut into 1cm cubes (or vegan equivalent)

• 120gr sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped

• 140gr marinated chilli mixed olives, halved (chilli marinade optional)

• 1 red romano pepper, finely chopped

• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

• 15gr fresh mint, roughly chopped 

• Freshly squeezed juice of 1.5 medium-sized lemons 

• Salt to taste

Method

If you’re looking for a side dish with main dish energy, you’re in the right place! I start by cooking the quinoa: I add the quinoa, water, bay leaf, and tomato paste to a small pot. I bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and set a 12-minute timer, stirring intermittently until the quinoa is cooked. Should you have a preferred way of cooking quinoa, feel free to use that instead.

Once the quinoa is done, I drain it using a fine mesh sieve and rinse it with cold water to bring it to room temperature and stop it from cooking further. I let it sit in the sieve over the empty pot for about an hour to ensure most of the water drains away.

Next, I transfer the cooked quinoa to a large mixing bowl and add the finely chopped red onion, red Romano pepper, cubed goat milk feta, sundried tomatoes, olives, and mint. I drizzle everything with EVOO and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Then I season it to taste and gently fold everything together until it’s well combined.

Now for the taste test—my favourite part! If the flavours are balanced and to my liking, I transfer the mixture into an airtight container and refrigerate it for 2–4 hours to let the flavours meld.

This quinoa dish makes a perfect lunch as it is, or served alongside your favourite protein. Enjoy!