Cucumber Tomato Salad With Quinoa and Ricotta Salata

This Cucumber Tomato Salad with Quinoa and Ricotta Salata is a delicious idea for lunch, dinner or a cookout. Fresh cucumbers, tomatoes and onion are tossed with quinoa, ricotta salata and a light fresh dill vinaigrette.

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I have the perfect salad to share with you today but first, I need to introduce you to someone I know you are going to adore.

Let me tell you about my buddy Shaina.  She’s this bubbly fantastic Jersey gal and is living the Florida life down in Boca.  She has been on the blog radar for a hot minute – having blogged for a couple years about fabulous healthy recipes, sweet treats and Florida finds.  After quite some time of chatting online and meeting through The Leftovers Club when I sent her my fave Mexican Chocolate Cookies, we finally met at BlogHerFood.  Let me tell you – with Shaina – what you see is what you get – she’s got a heart of gold and is just the sweetest person ever!

She’s traveling so she put out a call for guest posters and you know I had to whip something up.  When we were at BlogHerFood, Shaina and I headed to Michael’s Genuine for a fantastic brunch with Kim from Cravings of a Lunatic and Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake and it was a blast – some fabulous over the top dishes and some healthy dishes  – a perfect balance.  There was this salad at brunch – a farro salad with a light vinaigrette and nuggets of salty feta woven within and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

When Shaina said I could drop by her blog, Take a Bite Out Of Boca, and guest post, I knew I had to bring my salad interpretation to the table.  This Cucumber Tomato Salad with Quinoa and Ricotta Salata was perfect.  A light and refreshing dill vinaigrette dresses freshly sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and onion and, woven throughout the salad, nuggets of my favorite salty cheese – Ricotta Salata.  I love it in my salads, especially my must make Watermelon Salad with Ricotta Salata, and it was a divine compliment to the fresh flavors in this salad.

This Cucumber Tomato Salad with Quinoa and Ricotta Salata is a delicious idea for dinner or a light lunch and so easy to make.  This recipe will be a family favorite!

On to the recipe:

Gather your ingredients

Soak the red onion for a bit to mellow its sharp bite

Bring the quinoa to a bubble

Time to mix it all together with the dill vinaigrette

The piece de resistance – the Ricotta Salata – one of my fave cheeses

Don’t you want a bite?

Aly M. Cleary

Yields 6

Cucumber Tomato Salad With Quinoa and Ricotta Salata

This Cucumber Tomato Salad with Quinoa and Ricotta Salata is a delicious idea for lunch, dinner or a cookout. Fresh cucumbers, tomatoes and onion are tossed with quinoa, ricotta salata and a light fresh dill vinaigrette.

30 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

45 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup of water
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 large English cucumber, seeded and diced
• 1 pint of grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of champagne vinegar
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, preferably unfiltered
• 1/2 teaspoon of honey
• Pinch of salt and freshly grated black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of fresh dill, finely minced
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup of ricotta salata, finely cubed

Instructions

1. In a small dry saucepan, lightly toast the quinoa before adding the water.
2. Add the water, stir and bring to a boil.
3. When boiling, cover the quinoa and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 15 minutes or so.
4. Lightly fluff with a fork when done and set aside to cool.
5. While the quinoa is cooking, soak the red onion in a bowl of water for about 10 minutes or so to reduce the bite (if desired). Drain and add to a large bowl.
6. In a large bowl, also add the diced cucumbers and quartered grape tomatoes.
7. In a small bowl, whisk together the champagne vinegar, olive oil and honey.
8. Add a pinch of salt and freshly grated black pepper – whisk together until everything is combined.
9. Add the fresh dill and mix well. Set aside.
10. Add the cooled quinoa to the large bowl with the cucumber mixture. Mix well.
11. Add the vinaigrette and toss everything together again.
12. Right before serving, add the ricotta salata, toss one more time and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories

1027 cal

Fat

72 g

Carbs

72 g

Protein

24 g

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7.8.1.2

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