Greek Sofrito Quinoa Bowl

This post was created in partnership with California Olive Ranch. All opinions are our own.

We got an email from a reader a few months back:

Hi Sonja and Alex. I just had the most delicious Greek salad at Panera and wondered if you have any recipes that are similar to it. I am not familiar with a sofrito, but loved this salad. I would love to make this at home but don’t know where to start. Perhaps you do? By the way, I started listening to your podcast last fall when my husband said to me, “We need to start eating mostly vegetarian.” I was raised on meat and potatoes so I had no clue how to cook vegetarian. Your website and podcasts have helped a lot. Thank you! ~Kathy F.”

First of all, a huge thank you to Kathy for finding our website and podcasts! We started them after finding that eating vegetarian could be both possible and delicious, and we’re so excited they’ve been helpful in your journey. Second, we love responding to reader requests (like this one and this one)! So here’s a Panera copycat recipe: which really means, we used the original salad as inspiration and created our own Greek quinoa bowl from scratch!

So, what is sofrito? Sofrito is a sauce used as a base in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Latin American cooking. Typically in Spanish cuisine, it’s garlic, onion, paprika, and tomatoes cooked in olive oil.  We learned about this magical sauce watching Spanish cooking shows several years ago, so we knew where to start (it’s also typical as a basis for starting a paella). We mixed our version of a sofrito with some cooked quinoa, which makes for a savory, almost meaty texture to this Mediterranean bowl meal. Then the usual Greek suspects: cucumber, Kalamata olives, feta, plus kale and tasty vinaigrette made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon, and oregano. It’s a filling dish turned out even more satisfying than we imagined.

As with much Greek cuisine, there’s a healthy dose of olive oil in this salad. And speaking of health and olive oil, there’s been found to be a correlation between the two. According to California Olive Ranch:

• Healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil can help you fight stress, improve mood swings, decrease mental fatigue and even manage your weight.
• While fat in general gets a bad reputation, not all fats are bad, (in fact they are good), you just have to make the right choices. Harvard School of Public Health recommends some healthy fat intake; as a rule of thumb, out with the bad, in with the good.
• The FDA says eating 2 tablespoons of olive oil a day may reduce the risk of heart disease, due to its monounsaturated fat content.
• Other health benefits can be found at over on the California Olive Ranch site

With both health benefits and big flavor, this bowl was a win in our house. Thanks to Kathy for the challenge!

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this Greek sofrito quinoa bowl, we’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment below or share a picture and mention @acouplecooks on Facebook or Instagram.

This recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, omit the feta crumbles.

Greek Sofrito Quinoa Bowl

 

Print

by: a Couple Cooks

Serves: 4

What You Need

• 11/2 cups dry quinoa
• 1 small white onion (or ½ large)
• 1 large garlic clove
• 8 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 11/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• Black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• 2 romaine hearts
• 1 large bunch Lacinato kale or 5 ounces baby kale
• ½ English cucumber
• ⅓ cup kalamata olives
• ½ cup feta cheese crumbles

What To Do

1. Using a strainer, rinse the quinoa under cold water, then drain it completely. Place the quinoa in a saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer where the water is just bubbling for about 17 to 20 minutes, until the water has been completely absorbed. (Check by pulling back the quinoa with a fork to see if water remains.)
2. Turn off the heat and let sit with the lid on to steam for 5 minutes, then fluff the quinoa with a fork.
3. Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and sauté for 1 minute more. Pour the crushed tomatoes. paprika, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt and mix well. Simmer for about 15 minutes, with the lid at an angle, until slightly thickened. When the sauce is done, stir in the cooked quinoa, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Gradually whisk in 6 tablespoons olive oil until the dressing is emulsified and creamy.
5. In a small, dry skillet, toast the almonds over medium heat, stirring often, until lightly browned and fragrant.
6. Chop the romaine and kale. Dice the cucumber. Slice the olives in half.
7. To serve, place the greens in a bowl. Top with a layer of the quinoa, then cucumbers, olives, feta and almonds. Drizzle with the dressing and serve.

3.5.3226

 

A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living

from A Couple Cooks http://ift.tt/2pMPD7Y