Now that I live in South Florida, my taste buds always seem to be after Mediterranean and/or tropical flavors. Fresh and crunchy vegetables, tangy tastes of citrus or vinegar, that sort of thing. With that in mind, I thought I’d give ya a peek at my dinner plate from last night….

Thin pork-chop marinated in mojo sauce (cut into strips because I am a child),

Fluffy pita bread and hummus,

Creamy slices of avocado (which I topped with a ton of salt and pepper if we’re being honest),

And a heaping helping of Greek Quinoa Salad!

It super fit the bill and satisfied my cravings for a summertime-is-upon-us feast. Wanna know how to whip up your own Greek Quinoa Salad? Of course you do! It would be a perfect dish to make this weekend for work-week lunch prep or to pack along for a picnic pot-luck.

What you’ll need:

– 1 cup quinoa

– 1 1/2 cups water

– 1 red bell pepper

– 1 green bell pepper

– 1 cucumber

– 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

– 1/4 cup olive oil

– 3 Tbsps apple cider vinegar

– salt and pepper to taste

And how it all comes together:

– Rinse quinoa and then place it in a saucepan on medium heat to toast for a few minutes and get rid of any excess moisture.

– Add water to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and cover the pot with the lid slightly off kilter (so as to allow some steam to escape). Let this simmer for 12-14 minutes.

– While quinoa is simmering, chop bell peppers and cucumber.

– Fluff quinoa with a fork, take it off heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

– Once quinoa is cooled, add it to a large bowl along with chopped vegetables and feta cheese. Note: To make this salad vegan you could replace the feta with olives as they both provide a salty flavor. Also, non-vegans who like olives (aka NOT ME) could have BOTH!

– To create the dressing: whisk together oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Then add this mixture to your salad.

– Serve room temperature or place in the refrigerator to chill.

– Enjoy!

Have any recipe ideas that might keep my cravings satisfied for the months of sky-rocketing temperatures ahead here in Miami? What have YOUR dinner plates been lookin’ like lately? Share below!