Quinoa Salad with Veggies, Almonds, and Raisins

Ingredients

• ½ cup sliced almonds
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups quinoa
• 1 English cucumber, diced
• 15 grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, stemmed and leaves finely chopped
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ½ cup raisins
• ¼ cup chopped black olives
• 4 scallions, white and light green parts, chopped
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• ½ cup olive oil

Step 1

Gently heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread the almonds out on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes, until they’re lightly browned and smell nutty.

Step 2

While the almonds are toasting, bring the vegetable stock and quinoa to a boil in a saucepan. Once it’s boiling, turn the heat down to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer gently until the quinoa is tender and all the liquid is absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the cooked quinoa to a bowl and pop it in the fridge to cool for around half an hour.

Step 3

Once the quinoa is chilled, toss in the toasted almonds along with the cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, orange bell pepper, feta, raisins, olives, and scallions.

Step 4

Whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl, then pour the dressing over the salad. Give everything a good stir so the quinoa and veggies get nicely coated with the dressing.