Free Dinner Recipes E-book!   Download Now

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Almond Eater logo

  • Browse Recipes
    • Recipes by Course
      • Breakfast
      • Lunch
      • Dinner
      • Desserts
      • Drinks
      • Snacks
      • Sides
      • The Almond Eater Monthly Cooking Challenge
    • Recipes by Diet
      • Vegetarian
      • Dairy Free
      • Gluten Free
      • Vegan
      • Mediterranean Diet
      • Paleo
      • Whole30
  • Meet Erin
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • Browse Recipes +
    • Recipes by Course +
      • Breakfast
      • Lunch
      • Dinner
      • Desserts
      • Drinks
      • Snacks
      • Sides
      • The Almond Eater Monthly Cooking Challenge
    • Recipes by Diet +
      • Vegetarian
      • Dairy Free
      • Gluten Free
      • Vegan
      • Mediterranean Diet
      • Paleo
      • Whole30
  • About Erin
  • Contact

Home » Recipes » Gluten Free

Cucumber Spears with Whipped Feta and Quinoa

By Erin · April 17, 2017 · Updated May 13, 2020 · 14 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
  • Share
  • Tweet
Gluten FreeVegetarian

These Cucumber Spears are served overtop spicy quinoa and topped with whipped feta and roasted chickpeas. They’re delicious as a side dish or a full meal in themselves!

Cucumber Spears overtop spicy quinoa and topped with whipped feta+roasted chickpeas!

Oh well hi there! How was your holiday weekend? I gotta be honest, we kept things pretty low-key but also ate a TON of food, hence why I’m sharing these lighter cucumber spears with you today. ….when I say “lighter” just know that they’re covered in cheese so lighter is sort of a loose term. 

ANYWAY.

Let’s break down the weekend, shall we? I can’t recall if I’ve mentioned it or not, but I’ve been dealing with some sort of sinus headache cold thing for close to three weeks now, and though I was hoping it would work itself out on its own, it’s not SO I’m headed to the doctors later this week so hopefully they can tell me what’s up. Sinus headaches=not fun. That aside, Miguel and I spent Saturday afternoon walking around Sewickley, a town slightly outside the city with cute shops and restaurants. We ate at Mambo Italia and each got our own pizza, and I also stumbled upon two separate and equally adorable kitchen/home stores. I can and will never own enough props. Easter was spent at my grandma’s house eating EVERYTHING, which is truly what holidays are for so I said bring on the food. 

Cucumber spears plus quinoa, whipped feta and crunchy roasted chickpeas--a tasty side dish or vegetarian meal!

But, today is a new day and the start of a new week and today I’m saying bring on the cucumber spears! These cukes can be enjoyed as an entire meal as pictured, served with cheese, quinoa and roasted chickpeas, or they could simply be eaten as a snack with the whipped feta only. I used sazon y azafran to flavor the quinoa, but alternatively you could serve it with A) cajun seasoning or B) simply with salt and pepper. For the seasonings, I’d start with 1 teaspoon and go from there—you don’t want to add too much! 

The whipped feta is a combination of crumbled feta cheese, cream cheese and yogurt, and it’s kind of the star of the recipe. If you haven’t made it before, you’re going to want to ASAP.

Cucumber spears plus quinoa, whipped feta and roasted chickpeas--a tasty vegetarian meal or side dish!

Essentially, these cucumber spears are perfect for the warm weather months and are a healthy (ish) yet decadent meal!

Cucumber Spears with Whipped Feta and Quinoa

5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Author: Erin

Ingredients

  • 3 cucumbers sliced in half
  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 teaspoon sazon y azafran or cajun seasoning
  • 1 can 16 oz. chickpeas
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1-2 teaspoon sazon y azafran or cajun seasoning
  • Salt and pepper
  • Fresh parsley for garnish
  • For the whipped feta:
  • 4 oz. crumbled feta cheese at room temperature
  • 5 tablespoon cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoon plain yogurt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°. Drain and rinse chickpeas and then pat them dry with a towel or paper towels; pour chickpeas into a bowl and add olive oil, seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir and then place chickpeas onto a baking sheet and roast chickpeas for 20-30 minutes, or until they're nice and crispy.
  • Meanwhile, slice cucumbers in half and set aside.
  • Cook quinoa according to instructions on the package. Once quinoa is cooked, stir in the seasoning.
  • While chickpeas are roasting and quinoa is cooking, make the feta. Add feta cheese to a bowl and stir with an electric mixer. Alternatively, you can throw it in the food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the cream cheese and yogurt and continue mixing until feta and smooth.
  • To assemble: place quinoa on a plate and top it with cucumbers, feta and chickpeas.
  • Sprinkle with fresh parsley and enjoy!
Did you Make this Recipe? Tag me Today!Leave a comment below and tag @thealmondeater on Instagram!

 

« Cinnamon Tahini Pancakes
412 Food Rescue »

About Erin

Erin is the recipe developer, writer and photographer behind the healthy food blog, The Almond Eater. She's been blogging since 2014 and loves to create food for many different diets, including vegan, gluten free and/or Whole30 recipes.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jess @hellotofit says

    April 19, 2017 at 7:20 pm

    *Drool*. You had me at "cream cheese".

    Reply
  2. Lindsay | With Salt and Pepper says

    April 18, 2017 at 1:21 pm

    Whipped feta is the BEST!!!! I love everything about this recipe. So refreshing!!

    Reply
  3. Georgie @ The Home Cook's Kitchen says

    April 18, 2017 at 12:41 pm

    That is such a creeative idea! I absolutely love those flavour combinations, I never realised making whipped feta was that easy!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      April 18, 2017 at 12:59 pm

      It's TOO easy 😀

      Reply
  4. Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says

    April 17, 2017 at 4:11 pm

    I'm sorry to hear you aren't feeling well! Hopefully they can figure it out and get you back to good soon.

    On a brighter note, this recipe looks amazing! The crunchy cucumber with the creamy feta and spicy quinoa sounds delicious. And your photography keeps getting better and better. The lighting, the background...UGH. So good. 🙂

    Reply
    • Erin says

      April 18, 2017 at 12:58 pm

      Bahhh thank you Sarah! That means a lot 🙂

      Reply
  5. Kelly @ Kelly Runs For Food says

    April 17, 2017 at 10:42 am

    I looove whipped feta! I think I found some already made at Trader Joe's one time and I just wanted to eat it with a spoon. Hope your doc gives you something good for your headaches!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      April 18, 2017 at 12:56 pm

      Me too--both about the doc and the feta!

      Reply
  6. Meredith | Earth & Oven says

    April 17, 2017 at 9:49 am

    Agree with Vivian- whipped feta on everything! Love this high protein and light snack idea.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      April 18, 2017 at 12:56 pm

      Thanks so much Meredith!

      Reply
  7. Lisa @ NatureImmerse says

    April 17, 2017 at 6:40 am

    5 stars
    These look great and a lighter appetizer when we have so many heavier things during the holidays – thanks!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      April 18, 2017 at 12:52 pm

      Exactly--thanks Lisa!

      Reply
  8. Vivian | stayaliveandcooking says

    April 17, 2017 at 6:06 am

    I have been obsessed with whipped feta lately so I had to check this out - YUM! Will pin for later use, any excuse for more feta is a good excuse 😉
    As for your weekend, I'm so sorry you've been having these headaches! Sounds horrible, and I hope you find something of a solution later this week. Your weekend sounds pretty fun though - I love shops with kitchen/home ware! Buy all the things, am I right? 😉

    Reply
    • Erin says

      April 18, 2017 at 12:51 pm

      Yes! Any excuse to make whipped feta for sure. Thanks so much Vivian--I'm hoping to figure out the headache sitch too.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

girl in kitchen

Hi, I'm Erin!

I share recipes for ALL diet types because I believe that healthy food should be incredibly delicious without being complicated. Learn more

Seasonal Picks

pasta salad made with mediterranean ingredients

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

bowl with lemon orzo salad beside a small dish of chopped fresh basil

Lemon Orzo Salad

cake on a cake stand with a slice cut out

Vegan Carrot Cake

berries and ice cream in a bowl

Gluten Free Rhubarb Crisp

Popular Recipes

pasta, peas and sausage in a skillet

Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta

bowl with ground pork and vegetables

Banh Mi Bowl (Paleo, Whole30)

a bowl of pasta with lentils and red sauce

Lentil Bolognese Recipe (Vegan + Gluten Free)

sweet potato brownies

Flourless Sweet Potato Brownies

dog eating cake

Mini Dog Birthday Cake

Caramelized Onion Spaghetti Squash | squash filled with onions, mushrooms and kale for a healthy, vegetarian meal | thealmondeater.com

Caramelized Onion Spaghetti Squash

As Featured On

Footer

  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • The Almond Eater Monthly Cooking Challenge

Copyright© 2023 | The Almond Eater. Site Credit

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter