Greek Quinoa Salad

This quinoa salad was really easy to put together and has made for a great lunch! It keeps for several days which is a plus but I thought it would also make a great addition to any summer cookout or picnic! This recipe is adapted from Wholefully. 

1 1/2 cups chicken or veggie broth
1 cup quinoa
1 cucumber (diced)
1 red pepper (diced)
1/2 red onion (diced)
3 roma tomatoes (diced)
3/4 cup kalamata olives (chopped)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Stir the broth and quinoa together and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat to low, cover and let cook for 20-25 minutes or until the liquid has absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Toss the cucumber, red pepper, red onion, tomatoes and kalamata olives with the quinoa. In a bowl whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, lemon juice, dried parsley, dried dill, salt and pepper. Pour over the quinoa and toss. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hours before serving.

Broccoli Salad

I love broccoli salad but I knew that no one else in my family would eat it so I made it for a cookout with friends. It was completely gone by the end of the night! There are tons of different broccoli salad recipes but this is my favorite way to make it.

Salad
5 cups chopped broccoli
3/4 cup chopped red onion
8 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)
1 cup grated colby jack cheese

Dressing
1 cup real mayonnaise
4 tbsp white sugar
3 tbsp white vinegar

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set to the side. In a large bowl combine the salad ingredients. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. 

Dill Potato Salad

I was making this for a cookout with friends and ended up just kinda doing my own thing. I read so many potato salad recipes but none sounded just like what I was going for.  This actually turned out so so well! No one else in my family eats potato salad sadly, otherwise I would be making this all of the time!

5 lbs red potatoes (cooked and cut into quarters)
8 green onions (chopped)
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp pickle juice
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp dried dill

After the potatoes are boiled and cooked place them in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine the mayonnaise, pickle juice, garlic salt, green onions, black pepper and dried dill. Stir well then pour over the potatoes and stir. Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours before serving.

Hot Orzo Chicken Pasta Salad

My friend Megan made this for us when we first got home with A. It was so delicious and light. When I first saw what she brought I wasn't sure Gray would really like it but he did! Of course I had to get the recipe from her and she was more than happy to share it! This is a great summer dish.

2 Chicken Breast (cooked and shredded)
1 box orzo
2 Zucchini (chopped)

1/2 onion (chopped)
3/4 cup of Feta

1/3 cup of Pine nuts (toasted)
Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup and 1 tbsp olive oil

Cook the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, saute the zucchini and onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Drain the pasta and put in a large bowl, mix in all the ingredients. Serve right away or reheat later. Serve warm.

Cucumber Dill Salad

2 Cucumbers
8 oz Plain Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Fresh Dill

Slice the cucumbers. Mix dill and yogurt together then mix in the cucumbers. Refrigerate for 2 hours and serve.

* Crazy easy. Super Refreshing. Perfect for the summer.