Mediterranean Quinoa Salad +Video

Bright Mediterranean flavors are packed into this fresh and healthy quinoa salad – spinach, tomato, cucumber, feta, red onion all tossed with fresh herbs and a sweet and tangy homemade dressing. It is a perfect summer salad!

Years ago we had a blogger lunch with all of the Utah food bloggers. There were only a few of us back then and it was simple to gather around a table to discuss life and business. There was a quinoa salad at one lunch that was fairly decent but lacked a little flavor.

This was my first introduction to quinoa so I blamed it on the grain. However, it felt fresh and nourishing so I’ve been playing with my own version ever since.

A friend of mine blew my mind by introducing me to Prosecco vinegar and it’s become not only the best quinoa salad but one of my favorite summer side salads period.

How to Make Quinoa Salad Video

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa is technically the seed of a plant, but it is classified as a whole grain. It is a great source of plant protein and fiber.

Ingredients for Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Here is a brief overview of the ingredients you will need to make this tasty summer salad and the homemade salad dressing to go with it…

• Tri Color Quinoa: You can use any quinoa that you want. I just love the way this looks in the dish.
• Spinach: Grab some fresh spinach and chop it up! It adds great color, flavor and nutrients!
• Cucumber: We prefer English cucumbers so you don’t have to peel them and they are less seedy.
• Mung Beans: This is totally optional but I love the texture of beans in a salad and they are a great source of plant protein. We like Bob’s Red Mill brand.
• Grape Tomatoes: Slice them in half to make them easier

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! My boys are finally home from camp, we’re getting ready for the school year (8th grade, 12th grade, and second year of college are about to begin here), we have family visiting this week (YAY!), and I am very much looking forward to a return to routine this fall.

ON THE BLOGS this week: Perfectly sweetened and wonderfully spiced jam with just a hint of cinnamon, homemade peach jam has been a staple in our home for about 15 years.

This spinach orzo salad is filled with cranberries, creamy goat cheese, tender pasta, and plenty of fresh spinach tossed in a tangy sweet dressing. The salad can be served immediately or kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days – making this an awesome make-ahead meal for lunch or dinner.

What’s not to love about a fully loaded pasta salad filled with chewy bites of bacon and chunks of hard-boiled eggs? This creamy pasta has a bright, smoky dressing made with just a few ingredients and it’s a perfect match for the bacon and eggs.

Crispy edges and tender insides make each bite of these garlicky red potatoes with parmesan cheese an experience worth savoring.

This peach Caprese salad is a vibrant medley of flavors and textures, crafted to tantalize your taste buds and transport you to a sunny orchard in the height of peach season.

Want to elevate roasted broccoli and cauliflower to a whole new level of deliciousness? Try tossing them with oil, garlic, and a dash of smoked paprika before roasting them together to tender-crisp perfection.

Indulge in nostalgic fruity fun with a plate of Fruity Pebbles pancakes. These colorful, fluffy pancakes are infused with the iconic flavor of Fruity Pebbles cereal. Snacked on out of hand or plated with whipped cream and a drizzle of syrup, they’re a treat.

Creamy vanilla ice cream perfectly complements the tangy sweetness of rhubarb in this rhubarb swirl ice cream. A simple rhubarb sauce is swirled throughout each bite for a tantalizing and refreshing treat that combines the sweet creaminess of ice cream with the zesty allure of rhubarb.

What I’m CRAVING: My friend Erin’s Big Mac Salad caught my eye last week and it needs to happen in my house soon. It reminds me of Rebecca’s

Creamy vanilla ice cream perfectly complements the tangy sweetness of rhubarb in this homemade rhubarb ice cream. A simple rhubarb sauce is swirled throughout each bite for a tantalizing and refreshing treat that combines the sweet creaminess of ice cream with the zesty allure of rhubarb.

What exactly is it about homemade ice cream that always tastes better than any other? Is it the fact we don’t have to leave the house to enjoy it?

Maybe it’s the nostalgia of churning ice cream on Grandma’s side porch that makes me smile, even though I very happily use an electric ice cream compressor to make ice cream now.

Whichever machine you choose to use (or not use) to make ice cream, I hope that you’ll love this rhubarb ice cream every bit as much as our family and friends do!

With over 70 ice cream recipes here to choose from, there’s sure to be an ice cream for everyone! Don’t miss the Ice Cream Maker Review for all the information you need to find the BEST Ice Cream Maker for your needs! Spoiler alert – our top-rated machine under $50 just might surprise you. It sure surprised me!

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This Spinach Orzo Salad is filled with cranberries, creamy goat cheese, tender pasta, and plenty of fresh spinach tossed in a tangy sweet dressing. The salad can be served immediately or kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days – making this an awesome make-ahead meal for lunch or dinner.

Spinach Salad with Cranberries

The recipe was inspired by the Cranberry Orzo Salad that Princess Cruises serves in their International Cafe. It’s just so good! Tender pasta in a sweetly tangy dressing, with tart fresh cranberries and sliced almonds. Simple, fresh, and delicious.

I’ve included more cruise details at the bottom of the post here for anyone who is interested. As soon as I got home from our cruise through the British Isles, I immediately recreated the salad for my family.

As always, I loved the salad, but my guys? The kids decided that the fresh cranberries were too tart. (Crazy kids!)

So, the next time I made the salad, I went with dried cranberries and it was a win across the board. I like this salad every bit as much with dried cranberries as I do with fresh cranberries – and that’s an even bigger win, since fresh cranberries aren’t available more than a few weeks a year.

(And unless you’re lucky enough to have cranberries stashed in the freezer for this cake, you’ll be stuck waiting until the holidays to try this awesome salad.)

Spinach Orzo Salad

I took our salad to the next level by adding a generous portion of fresh baby spinach and warm chicken. Both the chicken and the spinach made it a heartier meal for my family.

And as far as my guys are concer

Fabulous Ranch Green Beans Recipe [+Video]

This is a green beans recipe like you’ve never tasted before and it is FABULOUS! The green beans are creamy and full of that comforting ranch flavor that everyone loves all topped with a crunchy Panko topping. Boom! You’re going to love this vegetable side dish!

I’ve been spending some quality time with more and more teenagers lately, and I’ve never felt more old and out of touch. Haha! I find myself asking them to explain all the slang words they are using. I learned a new one the other day and I’m totally incorporating it into my everyday lingo because it’s used to describe really, really good food — now that is something I can relate to! The word is “bussin'”. I can confidently say that these green beans are totally bussin’! 

After I accidentally created our melt-in-your-mouth baked ranch chicken, I had the thought that swapping the chicken for green beans would be stellar! And then I thought, nobody ever cares about green bean recipes. My next thought was…I don’t care! I’m going to do it anyway! And I was 100% correct, creamy ranch green bean casserole is out of this world…aka bussin’! And you need to try it!

Ingredients for Ranch Green Bean Casserole

You only need a few ingredients to make this tasty side dish, and most of the items will already be things you have on hand. Here is what you will need:

• Green Beans – fresh, washed, trimmed and then blanched
• Shallot – part of the onion and garlic family but more subtle in flavor
• Salt and Pepper – adds flavor
• Butter – used in the base for the sauce and as a binder for the crunchy Panko topping  
• Flour – thickens the sauce
• Ranch Salad Dressing – Trust me on this, make it from the packet, following the directions. It will taste way better then if you just buy a bottle of ranch.
• Milk – combines with the ranch to create the sauce
• Panko Breadcrumbs – Japanese-style breadcrumbs that adds crunch to the top of this casserole

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post. You can also save and/or print the recipe from there.

How to Blanch Green Beans

Blanching green beans takes just a few quick and easy steps. Fill a large pot of water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add kosher salt to the water (about 1 tablespoon for every quart of water). When the water starts boiling, add the beans and let them cook for 2-3 minutes. 

Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice while the beans are cooking. When the beans have finished cooking, transfer the beans to the ice bath. Let them sit for a few minutes in the cold water. This helps the green beans maint