Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl

Once again, I find myself more excited about the vegetarian dishes I'm making than the meat ones.  Technically, this is just a Greek salad over quinoa, but I really looked forward to figuring out what I wanted in it.

Eight months into this change of dietary habits, I still enjoy Mediterranean foods.  When I'm out, I choose lower carb options.  Like the changes I made that nearly got rid of my migraines, I'm maintaining this lifestyle because I can feel the positive changes.  Still having trouble maintaining my weight, but it doesn't scare me as much because I know I'm not starving myself.  When I get enough protein and not too much simple sugar, I don't get ravenously hungry, just normal hungry.  That is a wonderful side effect for someone who has been hypoglycemic for a couple of decades.  Wish I'd known about this sooner.

*1 C dry quinoa, any color
1/2 C extra-virgin olive oil (salad dressing quality)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1-1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp lemon juice
2 Tb white wine vinegar
1/2 lb Roma tomatoes, cut in chunks
1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut in chunks
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
*1 C artichoke hearts, cut in chunks
*2-3 radishes, thinly sliced
*1/2 C Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 C pitted kalamata olives
*1/2 C crumbled feta cheese for garnish

1.  Rinse quinoa until no longer soapy and cook according to package directions.  Fluff and set aside to cool.  This can be a do-ahead, or using leftovers.

2.  To make the dressing, whisk together oil, salt, herbs, lemon juice, and vinegar.  The oil will become solid when refrigerated, but leaving it on the counter for half an hour will allow it to melt.  If using it right away, no problems.

3.  Chop up all your veggies.  For the observant, no, that isn't Italian parsley in the photo, it's celery leaves.  I forgot to buy parsley and have a lot of celery in the back yard.  Haven't managed to germinate any parsley seeds yet.

4.  Spoon cooled quinoa into individual bowls or a large salad bowl.  Arrange vegetables and olives neatly on top.  That's the difference between a "bowl" and a "salad".  Drizzle with the dressing and top with the feta.  Serve as is or refrigerate for later in the day.

Difficulty rating  :)