Packed with protein and fiber, this vegetarian Mediterranean Green Tea Quinoa Salad makes a nutritious and delicious entrée or side dish. Thank you to Lipton® for sponsoring this post as part of my proud participation in Unilever’s 2016 Registered Dietitian Agents of Change program.
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I’m a big fan of green tea. It’s my favorite tea to enjoy in the afternoons for a little pick me up that won’t keep me up at night – but I decided it was time to mix it up from just drinking it and start eating it! Have you ever tried using green tea (not green tea powder, but an actual cup of tea/tea bag) as part of a recipe? I’ve had it in smoothies before, but never in a meal. It was time to change that!
The result is a fresh and flavorful vegetarian dish.
Making this recipe is quick and easy so you can have food on the table fast! Start with the quinoa – you’ll bring the tea bags, quinoa, and water to a boil in a medium pot, then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes or until all the water (aka green tea) is fully absorbed. Toss the tea bags when the quinoa is cooked!
While the quinoa is cooking, chop your veggies. Once chopped, toss all the veggies in a large bowl together, then make your vinaigrette! Simply mix together olive oil, lemon juice, grated garlic (or minced, if you don’t mind larger chunks), and some Lipton® Pure Green Tea. 🙂 That’s it! Combine and enjoy.
One of the reasons I was excited to work with Lipton® to share a recipe this fall is because of their great sustainability efforts; 100% of their leaf tea sold in the U.S. is Rainforest Alliance Certified™. The Rainforest Alliance is an independent organization that works to reduce environmental impacts and increase the social and economic benefits of farming. For Lipton®, this translates to better quality of life and brighter futures for families across their tea plantations. So far, they have helped the Rainforest Alliance certify over 500,000 smallholder farmers, have set up 1,685 Farmer Field Schools, and have trained over 450,000 farmers in better, more sustainable growing practices.
So – without further ado, here is the full recipe!
Mediterranean Green Tea Quinoa Salad
Packed with protein and fiber, this vegetarian Mediterranean Green Tea Quinoa Salad makes a nutritious and delicious entrée or side dish.
Ingredients:
for the salad
- 1 and 1/2 cups dry quinoa
- 4 Lipton Green Tea bags
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup chopped tomato
- 1 cup chopped bell pepper
- 1 and 1/2 cups chopped cucumber
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
for the dressing
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup hot water + 2 Lipton Green Tea bags
- 1 clove garlic, grated or pressed
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Combine the quinoa, water, and 4 Lipton Green Tea bags in a medium pot.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes - until all the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked through. Remove tea bags and allow to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, chop your veggies and place in a large bowl.
- Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a bowl (removing green tea bags once steeped) and set aside.
- Once the quinoa is cool, or mostly cooled, add it to the bowl with the veggies. Pour the dressing over and toss to combine.
- Serve chilled as an entree, as a side dish with seared chicken or fish, or atop salad greens.
Have you ever cooked with green tea?
p.s. For my Registered Dietitian readers – if you will be at FNCE this weekend, come see me demo this recipe at the Unilever booth on Monday at 11 a.m.! 🙂
