It’s been one of those weeks. Plans upended for more pressing matters. Creativity in inconvenient bursts. And in the midst of it: what to make for dinner?

So I turned to a trusty standby. One that tastes like summer and fall at once. 

Friends who—I’m told—don’t love quinoa or salads have happily made an exception for this Mediterranean quinoa salad. One even said it was restaurant-worthy.

I generally make this with feta cheese crumbles, but I forgot them this time. And it was still delightful. This is also the only recipe on this blog that’s not entirely vegetarian. I use my dad’s Caesar salad dressing recipe, and it includes anchovy paste. The dressing’s fine without anchovy paste if a bit flat. The vegetarian version’s in the works, though. I’ll be sure to update the recipe as soon as I figure it out.

Servings: 6-8 Time: 45 minutes Via: Apple Tree

I like to serve this with flatbread and hummus. Store-bought naan works really well, too.

This makes great leftovers. Just store it in an airtight container in the fridge and perk up with a dash of dressing before serving.

Salad
2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 a red onion, thinly sliced
1 8-ounce jar kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 cup basil leaves, packed and chopped
2 cups spinach leaves, packed and chopped
Crumbled feta cheese to taste

Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon (should amount to about a 1/4 cup)
4 shakes Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves of garlic, pressed/minced
2-inch strand anchovy paste
Kosher salt to taste
Pepper to taste

1. Soak the uncooked quinoa in a mesh strainer for five minutes. Then rinse thoroughly. (This removes the natural coating on quinoa that tastes bitter and soapy.)

2. Combine the rinsed quinoa with the vegetable broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15-18 minutes—until liquid is gone. Remove from heat and let rest—covered—for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff with a fork, and let cool.

3. While the quinoa cools, thinly slice the red onion. If your kalamata olives are not pre-sliced, cut them in half lengthwise.

4. In a medium saute pan over medium heat, dry roast the pine nuts. Stir constantly with a silicone spatula. Pine nuts burn very quickly. As soon as the pine nuts are golden brown (see photo above), transfer them to a cool plate.

5. De-stem the basil and spinach. Roughly chop both.

6. Make the dressing. Combine all ingredients and shake well. You’ll need more salt than seems reasonable to get that tang that makes you want to smack your tongue against the roof of your mouth. But it’s easier to add salt than remove it, so add some, taste, and add more until it’s just right.

7. Combine the quinoa, red onion, kalamata olives, pine nuts, basil, and spinach in a large bowl. Add feta crumbles to taste. Add 3/4 of the dressing and stir to combine. Taste and add more dressing if desired.