Recipe Swap - Mediterranean Grain Salad

Want to see what other Vegetarian recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Vegetarian Recipe Swap Roundup.

This week's cooking board recipe swap theme was vegetarian. Like I said when my life board did a vegetarian swap, I was nervous about the recipe I might get. Not to worry, this Mediterranean Grain Salad was delicious, easy to make and didn't involve ingredients I'd never cooked with.


You can use any kind of grain as the base for this salad. I chose orzo because SP loves it and I had a box in the pantry all ready to go. The mix of vegetables is wonderful - very crisp and light. SP wasn't a fan of the white beans, but I loved them. I just wish the feta had been sharper. It got lost in the shuffle, but I know that was due to the brand we bought.



Mediterranean Grain Salad
Caitlin's Cooking and More

3 cups cooked and cooled grain of your choice (barley, rice, couscous, pasta, etc.)
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup olives, roughly chopped (grab a variety from the olive bar)
1 (15-ounce) can white beans, rinsed and drained
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, and vinegar in a bowl. Whisk to combine, and season with salt and pepper. Add the parsley through feta, stirring gently to combine. Cover and allow to sit either at room temperature or chilled for at least 30 minutes. Fold in the walnuts, and serve.