Tabbouleh fans, have you tried making it with quinoa? This recipe is a fun variation on classic tabbouleh made with quinoa instead of bulgur wheat. It turns our favorite Lebanese salad into a gluten-free dish. The quinoa is fluffy and has a somewhat nutty taste, but overall, the flavor profile is quite similar.

Since I already changed one primary ingredient, I took the liberty of adding some chickpeas and feta cheese, more ingredients that you would not expect to find in tabbouleh. They’re entirely optional and absolutely delicious. They make the salad more hearty; if you use both, it could qualify as a light meal on its own.

This herbaceous salad is so refreshing on a warm day. It features fresh parsley and mint, tomato and cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and quinoa. The proportions remain true to the traditional recipe, so it contains more parsley than quinoa, and the lemon packs a punch. I think you’ll love it.

The post Quinoa Tabbouleh appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

This Mediterranean bean salad is one of my all-time favorite salads and sides. Bold claim, I know, but I can back it up. I’ve been loving this recipe for ten years running now!

This salad is crisp and satisfying, fresh and full of bright Mediterranean flavors. The recipe features hearty kidney beans and chickpeas, which balance crisp cucumber, celery and red onion. The remaining simple ingredients—lemon and olive oil, garlic and lots of fresh leafy herbs—yield truly irresistible results.

This Mediterranean-style salad is perfect for spring picnics, summer potlucks and cozy fall get-togethers. It’s a crowd-pleasing salad or side dish that suits most special diets, too. The recipe is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.

With how quickly this salad comes together, it’s an easy addition to your weekend menu! It’s a simple chop, whisk and stir situation that’s ready in about 20 minutes. I hope this dish becomes one of your standby recipes, too.

The post Mediterranean Bean Salad appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Add this fresh tortellini salad recipe to your weekend menu, stat! It features cheesy spinach tortellini tossed in my all-time favorite green goddess dressing, layered with lemony fresh greens and seasoned spring or summer vegetables.

This pasta dish manages to be light yet hearty at the same time, which is a real feat. It’s quick to make, but looks impressive. It’s versatile, too—you’ll see quite a few vegetable options below. Choose raw vegetables for the simplest preparation, as I did for these photos, or incorporate some quickly blanched vegetables, like asparagus, to expand your options.

My healthy homemade green goddess dressing comes together quickly in the blender or food processor. I suggest doubling the ingredients so you can serve the extra as a veggie dip or refrigerate it for upcoming green salads. It’s really delightful to have on hand.

Choose spinach tortellini over basic cheese tortellini to incorporate even more greens. I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. This vegetarian pasta salad is a real crowd pleaser!

The post Green Goddess Tortellini Salad appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Somewhere, in the deep recesses of my kitchen drawers, lies a sushi rolling mat. I have used it once, perhaps five years ago, during my first and last attempt at rolling sushi at home. I made some lumpy rolls that day. Sushi is an art form, and it’s not a picture I can paint.

Homemade sushi bowls are the answer to my sushi-at-home conundrum. There’s no rolling involved, which means they’re much easier to make. You can get quite creative with your ingredients, too, since we’re simply piling them on top rather than rolling them up. Best of all, these fresh but hearty bowls keep me fueled for hours.

The post Veggie Sushi Bowls appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

When it’s blazing hot outside, this cucumber tomato salad is exactly what I want to eat. This recipe is crisp and refreshing, light yet satisfying. It’s the perfect side dish to make with a surplus of cucumbers and tomatoes from your garden or farmers’ market.

This simple veggie salad features fresh cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, not-too-much red onion, fresh herbs and optional feta cheese. Once tossed in zippy Greek dressing, this basic combination is further proof that summertime produce doesn’t need much help to taste spectacular.

Cucumber Tomato Salad Ingredients

Cucumber

Use one English cucumber or two Persian cucumbers. I prefer these varieties to standard garden cucumbers because their skin isn’t bitter and they are extra crisp. You can use a regular cucumber if that’s what you have—taste it first, and peel off half or all of the skin if it tastes bitter.

Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes are perfect for this salad because they’re small, flavorful, and more fleshy than watery. Cut them in half if they’re small-to-medium in size, and quarter any larger tomatoes.

Red Onion

Red onion can be overpowering, so we’ll tame its intensity by soaking it in ice water before using. Simply slice the onion and place it in a bowl of ice water while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Soaking also makes the onion extra crisp, which is lovely.

Optional Feta Cheese

You’ll enjoy this salad either way. Feta offers little bursts of creamy, salty flavor. Without it, this salad tastes extra light and refreshing, like a spa salad!

Fresh Basil or Dill

This salad is not complete without fresh herbs. Use a combination of the two or all basil, whichever you prefer.

Greek Dressing

Finally, we’ll bring this salad to life when we toss it with Greek salad dressing, which is simply the best dressing for cucumber tomato salad! It’s made with extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh garlic, honey, dried oregano, salt and pepper.

Sometimes salads of this nature are swimming in oil, but not this one. This dressing is bold, so you can get by with less.

You can cut the salad dressing ingredients in half for the perfect amount for this salad, or better yet, make the full batch to enjoy on green salads throughout the week.

Watch How to Make Cucumber Tomato Salad

The post Cucumber Tomato Salad with Greek Dressing appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

We have a surplus of tomatoes this summer, and it’s glorious. I dreamed up this simple tomato salad recipe to make use of the excess. I simply sliced ripe tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, then I added some crisp red onion, lots of fresh basil, and drizzled it all with olive oil and good balsamic vinegar.

The end result is so delicious! This salad really lets raw, peak-season tomatoes shine. The recipe is also quite versatile, so you’ll never tire of it. Try adding some cucumber, mozzarella, avocado, arugula or even peaches.

Serve this tomato salad as a fresh, healthy side salad to any summer meal. It’s best when it’s freshly made, so I recommend cutting the recipe in half if you’re not serving a crowd.

I grew heirloom tomatoes from seed for the first time this spring. It was a fun process that proved easier than expected. In fact, I underestimated how many of the seeds would sprout. I grew so many tomato plants that we filled our family’s three garden plots and passed along the extra to friends.

Strangely enough, our growing tomato plants have provided a sense of continuity and hope during a tumultuous year. I’ll do it all again next spring, but maybe leave some room for more peppers and cucumbers. Or maybe I need a bigger garden plot. I think I’m hooked!

Watch How to Make Easy Tomato Salad

The post Easy Tomato Salad appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

What took me so long to make classic pickles? As it turns out, homemade dill pickles are simple, easy and delicious. They’re the perfect little summertime project, if you even want to call it that. These pickles are ready after a short chill in the refrigerator (as little as one hour), and they keep for several weeks.

These pickles are tangy and refreshing, nice and crisp, and offer garden-fresh flavor. They remind me of Claussen or Grillo’s pickles—but they’re even better. In short, I’m in love with this refrigerator pickle recipe and I think you will be, too.

These pickles are made with simple ingredients. You’ll need vinegar (I prefer rice vinegar’s mild flavor), fresh dill (technically optional, but delicious), a couple cloves of garlic, and a few basic seasonings.

I added a touch of sweetener, too—just enough to cut the bite of vinegar. These pickles are decidedly tangy, and nowhere near “bread and butter” territory. However, the sweetness level is entirely up to you.

These pickles aren’t overwhelmingly salty, either, yet they’re fully seasoned. They are irresistibly just right—perfect for burgers, for snacking, and more.

The post Easy Homemade Pickles appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Panzanella! A fun name for a bold summertime salad. Panzanella is Italy’s delicious solution for extra tomatoes and stale bread.

This panzanella salad is my take on the classic. It features ripe tomatoes, crisp homemade croutons, fresh cucumber and basil, and mozzarella under a simple, zippy vinaigrette. It’s a study in textures and refreshing Italian flavors.

I’m in love with this panzanella salad recipe and think you will be, too. It avoids all of the potential panzanella pitfalls. Some panzanellas are mushy, bland or watery—not this one.

This panzanella salad makes use of small tomatoes, which are less watery and less likely to be mushy. It’s composed on a large platter in layers, which is key to its good looks. You decide how long to let the salad rest before serving—the croutons soften up with time, in the best way.

Great tomatoes are absolutely essential, so hurry and make this panzanella while you still can!

The post Layered Panzanella appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

This recipe’s title doesn’t do this beauty justice. Look at it! This watermelon salad recipe is a showstopper, if I can say so myself.

This salad starts with a base of cold, creamy herbed yogurt sauce. Then, we top it with cubed ripe watermelon, followed by crisp cucumber, lightly pickled shallot, and more fresh basil and mint.

Each element is so simple to prepare, and the end result is spectacular.

Watermelon is perfectly red and juicy this time of year, so please make this salad while you still can. It would be the perfect salad to bring to your weekend get-together.

This salad is best consumed within a couple hours of assembly. I bet your friends will be up for the challenge! Got your watermelon yet?

The post Watermelon Salad with Herbed Yogurt Sauce appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Finally! I’ve figured out how to make the best tabbouleh. It’s just as good, if not better than, my favorite local Middle Eastern restaurant’s. If you try it, I think you’ll agree.

Tabbouleh (also spelled tabouli) is a super fresh herb and bulgur salad, with parsley being the number one ingredient. It’s dotted with diced cucumber and tomato, and dressed simply with olive oil and lemon juice. It’s refreshing, light and packed with healthy ingredients.

You’ll often find tabbouleh as a side dish on Mediterranean menus. It’s right at home with hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, feta, olives… all of my favorite things.

I’ve attempted tabbouleh at home over the years, and I’m so pleased to share what I’ve learned with you today. Ready to make some great tabbouleh?

The post Best Tabbouleh appeared first on Cookie and Kate.