Salads are a good idea all year round, but if you’re anything like me, they don’t always sound filling enough.
Especially in the winter months, when it is cooler outside and I am itching to make soups, stews, and casseroles, I tend to forget about salads. That doesn’t mean my body forgets about them though! We need fresh veggies throughout the whole year, not just in the warm summer months.
I first thought about this idea when I saw a similar dish being advertised at Panera Bread. They have been promoting their “warm grain bowls” and though I didn’t order one, the idea stuck with me!
Bowls like this one, are my favorite because every bite is packed with flavor. There are so many toppings that add nutrients, and along with that, texture and taste. And because of the addition of the warm quinoa, it feels perfectly winter appropriate. I love anything Mediterranean—you all should know that by now. I made this one with all my favorite Greek toppings—Kalamata olives, feta, cucumber, tomato, and red onions. Feel free to get creative and make this your own. A southwest version with avocado sounds amazing!
The base of this is a bed of warm quinoa—I used red. If you’re not a quinoa person, couscous would be a great substitute. The green I used here is baby arugula. You can’t go wrong with adding that peppery bite!
One of my favorite parts of this whole bowl is the delicious sauce that goes over the top. I am an “extra dressing” kind of girl. To me, I can never have enough. This dressing is made from simple ingredients-- greek yogurt, dill, and lemon juice. There is no added sugar, so feel free to really pile on the sauce!
more bowl recipes to try
Mediterranean Warm Grain Bowls with Lemon Dill Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 2 cooked chicken breasts seasoned and sliced
- 2 cups Baby Arugula
- ½ cup grape tomatoes
- ¼ small red onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup feta cheese
- ½ cucumber cut into ½-inch chunks
- ¼ cup hummus
Lemon Dill Sauce
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ½-1 lemon juiced (you can add more or less lemon juice depending on taste. If you like less, you may want to add a little water to thin out the sauce)
- 1 tbsp. fresh dill roughly chopped
- salt to taste
Instructions
Lemon Dill Sauce
- In a small bowl combine yogurt, chopped dill, and lemon juice. Add salt to taste.
Bowls
- Split everything into two bowls (or containers if you are meal prepping)
- Start with a bed of warm quinoa, and place fresh arugula on top
- Add cucumber, tomato, red onion, olives, feta, and hummus.
- Liberally drizzle with lemon dill sauce and serve.
joanne says
loved this recipe
joanne says
looks htestbyi