Rainbow Quinoa Salad with Cashew Tzatziki

This rainbow quinoa salad with cashew tzatziki is perfect for both lunches and weeknight dinners! A rainbow of finely chopped sweet peppers mingle with cooked quinoa, pistachios, and dried apricot in this fresh gluten free and vegan summer salad. Each serving is topped with a creamy cashew tzatziki sauce flavored with thinly sliced cucumber and fresh dill.

I love a good grain salad in the summertime because I can prep a big batch and eat it straight from the fridge for lunch or dinner without worrying about re-heating it! This rainbow quinoa salad is a longtime favorite inspired by a similar offering at JuiceLand. It’s packed with fresh, summer flavors and is just the right balance of light yet filling to keep you satiated without feeling stuffed and sluggish.

Why You’ll Love This Quinoa Salad:

• It’s great for vegan meal prep! Prep both components and keep them separate until you’re ready to eat.
• The only cooking involved is the quinoa.
• There’s no need to reheat leftovers!
• It’s fresh, filling, and a great way to take advantage of summer produce like sweet peppers and cucumbers.

Notes on Ingredients and Substitutions

I really love using mini sweet peppers here because they’re often sold in multicolored mixes and have great flavor but you can also use sweet bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange). Pistachios pair really well with the dried apricots and sweet peppers but can often be pricey. You can use an equal amount of sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds instead. I prefer using either an English cucumber or Persian cucumbers for the tzatziki because they have the best flavor in my opinion and also have really small seeds but feel free to use any cucumber variety you like. I HIGHLY recommend fresh dill in the tzatziki but in a pinch, you can use 1 teaspoon dried dill.

Rainbow Quinoa Salad with Cashew Tzatziki

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• Author: Courtney
• Total Time: 52 minutes
• Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

A rainbow of finely chopped sweet peppers mingle with quinoa, pistachios, and dried apricot in this fresh gluten free and vegan summer salad. Each serving is topped with a creamy cashew tzatziki sauce flavored with thinly sliced cucumber and fresh dill. 

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

for the quinoa salad:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 medium lemon, zested
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• sea salt, to taste
• 6–8 ounces mini sweet peppers, diced
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup raw pistachios
• 1/3 cup dried apricot, diced

for the cashew tzatziki:

• 1 cup cashews, soaked at least 4 hours or overnight
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 lemon, juiced
• sea salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
• 1/2 cup cucumber, thinly sliced and pat dry

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Instructions

To make the quinoa salad combine the quinoa and water in a pot. Bring the quinoa to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook the quinoa for 15-17 minutes until the water has been absorbed.

Fluff the quinoa then let the quinoa cool for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add the quinoa to a large bowl along with the lemon zest, parsley, diced peppers and red onion, pistachios, and apricot. Season with a pinch or two of salt then mix. Taste, then season with more salt as needed. 

To make the cashew tzatziki, combine the drained and rinsed cashews, water, lemon juice, salt, and nutritional yeast in a blender. Blend until very smooth. Pour the tzatziki into a bowl, then stir in the dill and cucumber. Cover and chill until ready to use.

When you’re ready to serve, top each portion of the quinoa salad with the cashew tzatziki.

Store leftover quinoa salad and tzatziki in separate airtight containers in the fridge. No need to heat the leftovers! Enjoy within 3-4 days. 

Notes

• You only need 1 lemon total: you’ll use the zest in the quinoa salad and the juice in the tzatziki. 
• You can use 2 medium/small red, orange, or yellow bell peppers in place of the mini sweet peppers.
• I like using English or Persian cucumbers in the tzatziki for their flavor and smaller seeds. 

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cooling Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 15-17 minutes