Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Bring a large pot to medium-high heat. Once heated, pour in the white quinoa, and toast for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.
Pour in 4 cups of water or broth with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to medium and let the quinoa simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed by the quinoa. For extra fluffy quinoa, cover the pot with a lid for the last 5 minutes.
While the quinoa is cooking, wash and place the 2 red bell peppers onto a baking pan and let it roast for 30-40 minutes. You can tell it’s done when it’s soft and wrinkled with black spots.
While the red bell peppers are roasting, make the salad. Start by cutting the cucumbers. Cut the cucumber in half, length-wise, and then scoop out the seeds. Dry each cucumber "boat" with a towel to soak up the extra water. Cut each piece in half length-wise again, and then cut into 1-inch pieces.
When the quinoa is done cooking, set it aside to cool down. If you want to speed up the cooling process, stick the quinoa in the fridge.
Combine the chopped cucumber, chopped green bell pepper, sliced cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, chickpeas, and ¾ cup of chopped parsley in a large bowl. You’ll want to soak each batch of vegetables you chop to minimize water excretion. This will help prevent the salad from getting too soggy when it sits. You can use paper towels or a regular kitchen towel to soak up the extra water the vegetables excrete.
Make the dressing next. Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, red pepper flakes, honey, salt, pepper, and garlic in a small bowl. Mix the salad dressing well with a whisk. Set aside. You can also make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients into a blender.
Once the red bell peppers are done roasting and have been cooled, peel the skins off, de-seed them, and roughly chop them. I usually cut them into strips length-wise, and then chop the strips into 1-inch pieces. Combine the peppers, cooled quinoa, and 4 oz. of feta cheese into the large mixing bowl with the chopped vegetables.
Pour the salad dressing over the large salad bowl and stir to combine.
Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Garnish with the leftover feta cheese and parsley.
Serve and enjoy!