The end of summer is gathering speed and soon enough we will all be pulling our boots to the front of the closet and pulling up to the drive-thru screen at Starbucks begging for a pumpkin spice latte (I get that the latter may not appeal to everyone). While the fall is always a welcomed season, especially this year, I’m trying my best to hang onto my tank tops and the smell of sunscreen juuuusst a little longer. This need for a little more time with the sunshine includes the fresh fruit, vegetables, and lighter meals that come along with the summertime. We’ve been making it a point to grill out on the balcony a few extra times and enjoy the fresh in-season produce.
A recent dinner at my in-laws inspired this last week’s side-dish with pretty much everything we ate. My wonderful mother-in-law had whipped up a cold quinoa salad with chopped veggies and feta cheese that was to die for. I’m fairly certain I had three helpings. If you know me, you know I love to look for an excuse to pair quinoa with any dish but very rarely find a way to eat it cold other than throwing it on top of green salads. Making it it’s own dish was something I surprisingly hadn’t tried before. I left dinner determined to replicate it at home using some of me and hub’s recent favorites from the farmer’s market.
More than I love quinoa, I love sweet peppers. These were a must. And since I can eat avocado right out of the skin with a spoon, this had to go in too. What really made this dish extra tasty was the soft crumbled goat cheese and Kraft brand Parmesan Pesto Vinaigrette. I found these olive oil based dressings not too long ago and they are delicious and very few Weight Watcher points. The effort required in this recipe is close to none and makes enough for leftovers throughout the week. When I say we ate this with everything, I mean everything. This very colorful dish is great with grilled chicken, burgers, sandwiches, soup, and also just by itself. Since we just finished up the last bite of this quinoa salad this afternoon with our shared grilled cheese, I’m already adding some more quinoa and goat cheese to the grocery list for this week.
What are some of your favorite summertime dishes? Are there any other veggies you would add to your quinoa salad?
Vegetable Quinoa Salad
Makes approx. 6 – 3/4 cup servings. 7 WW points per serving.
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked (we used red because of the rich color it gives this dish)
- 3 oz. crumbled goat cheese
- 1/2 large cucumber, diced
- 1 medium sweet red pepper, diced
- 1 medium sweet yellow pepper, diced
- 1 medium avocado, diced
- 1/2 cup Kraft Parmesan Pesto Vinaigrette
- Mix quinoa, all vegetables, and cheese together in a large bowl.
- If serving right away, toss salad with the dressing. If you plan to have leftovers, add 1-2 tbs of dressing to each serving as you go to avoid the vegetables getting soggy.