Quinoa, Bocconcini and Oregano Salad: Guest Post for Lori @ Creating Beauty in the Kitchen

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Quinoa,Bocconcini and Oregano Salad

Quinoa,Bocconcini and Oregano Salad

I was so excited when Lori @ Creating Beauty in the Kitchen asked me to do a guest post for her. It is just such an honour when one of your blogging buddies has enough confidence in you to ask you to fill in a post when she is in a pinch. Of course who could say no to Lori?  All of us who know her, just love her sweet, friendly nature and would be more than happy to help her out.

When Lori reminded me that the recipe I chose should be low-glycemic, I rubbed my hands with glee! Truth be known, I eat this way most of the time too, but I don’t adhere to a strict diet. My body just feels better when I feed it food from natural sources, low in sugar. For me this means loads of vegetables, protein from plant and animal sources and of course fruits, especially berries. Today’s recipe reflects that way of eating, and I was pretty sure that Lori would like it because she had admired one of my other quinoa salad recipes. This recipe is perfect for summer time because vegetables are very fresh this time of year. I used fresh peas and oregano, which really make the salad taste like summer. This recipe is modified from “Quinoa 365”, by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming. I hope that you enjoy it, Lori and thanks for the honour of asking me to guest post for you.

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 Ingredients:

¾ cups quinoa

11/2 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup diced green zucchini

½ cup diced yellow zucchini

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

½ cup diced red onion

½ cup fresh green peas, or frozen and thawed if you really have to

1 cup diced red bell pepper

½ cup diced yellow pepper

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (brown or white)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

pinch salt

finely ground black pepper

1 cup halved mini bocconini cheese pieces

Method:

Bring quinoa, water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave saucepan, covered, on the burner for another 5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Set aside until completely cooled.

Combine the zucchini, tomatoes, onion, peas and peppers in a large bowl.

Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and mix all of the ingredients. Add the quinoa and bocconcini and mix until evenly combined.

Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

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21 Responses to “Quinoa, Bocconcini and Oregano Salad: Guest Post for Lori @ Creating Beauty in the Kitchen”

  3. Shari

    Gorgeous salad, Julianna! I bet the oregano in the dressing makes it taste amazing, not to mention all of the other yummy ingredients.

    Reply
    • chefjulianna

      Oh, we love our friend, Lori and are so happy to help her out while she is moving! She’s working hard packing, and I bet she’s working up an appetite! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Lori

    Soooo sweet Julianna! Thank you for your kind words! Always an encouragement! I just love this salad!!!! Thank you again for blessing me…so grateful for you!

    Reply
    • chefjulianna

      Well, we have to keep you fed and happy while you’re moving, don’t we? You just need to keep your energy up. My pleasure to help you out with this! 😀

      Reply

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