Ancient Grain Salad
Looking for a fresh and wholesome salad to enjoy for lunch, dinner, side or snack? I think you are going to love this ancient grain salad! Made with Quinoa, lentils, fresh herbs, nuts, seeds and raisins. It’s loaded up with all the good stuff.
Not only is it delicious with It’s different textures and flavours but It’s packed full of nutrients to keep you fuller for longer.
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This ancient grain salad looks stunning and tastes great. It’s a regular appearance at our family BBQ’s and I often get asked for the recipe.
It’s pretty much got it all when it comes to textures and flavours; theres soft, crunchy, smooth and theres sweet, zest, saltiness and tart. Making this salad so much fun to eat.
Whoever said you don’t make friends with salad has obviously never had this salad!!
Ancient grain salad
Formally known as Cypriot grain salad, I first had this salad at a well known Melbourne Greek restaurant, Hellenic Republic, owned by celebrity chef George Colombaris. I was hooked and I spent many months after that trying to recreate it.
I could not contain my excitement when I received a George Colombaris cookbook for Christmas which contained the recipe.
Iv’e made some slight adjustments to Georges recipe. In the original recipe George Colombaris uses freekah another ancient grain made from roasted green wheat grains. I have used quinoa which is commonly available in supermarkets and it’s gluten free. He also adds pomegranate to serve which you can add if It’s in season for a wonderful burst of freshness and colour.
The other difference is his recipe dollops the dressing over the top where as I love to toss that wonderful dressing through the salad so every grain is evenly coated.
If you need another reason to make this salad It’s gluten free, egg free and vegan.
What are ancient grains?
Ancient grains are a group of whole grains that have remained the same throughout the years as apposed to modern grains like rice and corn.
Types of ancient grains include:
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I use quinoa in this recipe but this can be substituted with any of the above ancient grains.
The benefits of eating whole grains are that they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and protein.
What you will need
- Quinoa (or other ancient grain as listed above)
- Coriander
- Parsley
- Red onion
- Can lentils
- Pumpkin seeds
- Slivered almonds
- Pine nuts
- Pistachios
- Baby capers
- Currants
- Lemon
- Extra virgin olive
How to make this Ancient grain salad
Let’s start by talking about how to make the perfect quinoa!
I use this method to cook quinoa and it works every time. You want light, fluffy quinoa that just pops in your mouth. You don’t want it to be undercooked and you don’t want it to be waterlogged and mushy.
-Start by rinsing your quinoa in a colander under cold water
-For 1 cup of quinoa you will need 2 cups of water or stock. I find cooking the quinoa in stock gives it a richer flavour. Place the quinoa, water (or stock) and 1 teaspoon of salt in a small pot and bring to a simmer on low-medium heat.
-When it starts to simmer, reduce heat to low, put the lid on and cook for 15 minutes without stirring.
-Remove from heat, leave the lid on and set aside for a further 15 minutes. This allows the quinoa to soak up any remaining water and it will continue to gently cook in this time.
-Lastly remove the lid and fluff up the quinoa with a fork. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool before adding to your salad.
Putting it all together
In a large bowl, place the coriander, parsley, red onion, quinoa, lentils, toasted nuts, capers, currants, lemon juice and olive oil. Mix well and season to taste.
Mix the yoghurt, ground cumin and honey until combined. Add to the salad and mix well to combine.
See below for the full recipe!
It’s that simple! Once you have you quinoa cooked and your chopping done this ancient grain salad is so easy to assemble.
I bet you are going to love it just as much as I do!!
Storing and making ahead
If making this salad ahead I recommend storing the dressing in a seperate container. I love the Oxo salad dressing shaker for storing, shaking and easy pouring. It’s also great for when you are taking the salad to a party or a park. You can purchase it here.
The salad can then be stored in the fridge for up to 8 days.
I love storing fresh salads like this in glass pyrex bowls with lids you can buy a complete set here.
Tools to make the job easier
Oxo good grips salad dressing shaker
Cookbooks by George Colombaris
Greek cookery from the Hellenic heart
Ancient grain salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 bunch coriander chopped
- 1/2 bunch parsley chopped
- 1/2 red onion finely sliced
- 400 g can lentils drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds
- 2 tbsp toasted slivered almonds
- 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
- 2 tbsp toasted pistachios
- 2 tbsp baby capers
- 1/2 cup currants
- 1 lemon juiced
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive
- Sea salt to taste
For the dressing
- 1 cup Greek yoghurt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Place quinoa in a medium saucepan with two cups water and 1tsp salt. bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low, cover with lid and let cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand with lid on for 15 minutes. Remove lid and fluff up with a fork.
- In a large bowl, place the coriander, parsley, red onion, quinoa, lentils, toasted nuts, capers, currants, lemon juice and olive oil. Mix well and season to taste.
- Mix the yoghurt, ground cumin and honey until combined. Add to the salad and mix well to combine.
This recipe looks so yummy. Thank you for sharing.
Pastor Natalie
Letstakeamoment.com
Thank you!!
This salad looks so good! I’m vegan but I am going to make this this week – I’ll just sub the yoghurt for coconut yoghurt and the honey for agave or maple. I love how much protein you’ve packed in to one salad. Great recipe – thank you!
That sounds great!!!
This salad looks so delicious, packed with textures and yummy flavours! It would make a great lunch
Thank you Sylvie
This salad looks like a meal in itself! A great option for lunch or you could round it out with some grilled chicken, yum!
It’s delicious with grilled chicken and a dollop of Greek yoghurt 🙂