Crunchy Quinoa Chickpea Salad
This quinoa chickpea salad makes you want to eat healthy. It’s tangy from an apple cider vinaigrette and full of crunchy things—cucumber, red onion, toasted almonds. Perfect for potlucks, or for stocking the fridge with make-ahead lunches all week long.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup diced cucumbers
- 1 cup diced red onion
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/3 cup toasted sliced or slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small clove of garlic
- 2 TBSP chopped fresh dill
- 2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa, then transfer it to a saucepan. Add 1 3/4 cup of liquid (you can use water, but I like to use chicken or vegetable broth for more flavor). When the quinoa is done cooking, remove it from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- Heat a small dry pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, reduce the heat to low and add the almonds. Let them toast until golden and aromatic, shaking the pan often to prevent burning. (Keep a close eye on them.)
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then transfer them to a large mixing bowl.
- Chop the cucumbers and onions and transfer them to the same bowl. Add the crumbled feta, toasted almonds, and cooled quinoa.
- Into a blender or magic bullet, add the apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, garlic clove, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, chopped fresh dill, chopped fresh parsley, sea salt, and a few cracks of black pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Drizzle half of the dressing over the salad and toss everything well to coat. Taste it, and add more dressing bit by bit until you achieve your desired flavor.
- Garnish with extra chopped herbs and serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
Quinoa and chickpea salad will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days once it’s dressed, and up to 6 days if you store the dressing separately.
Dressing can be kept in the fridge in an airtight bottle for 3-5 days. You can use it to liven up leftovers if necessary.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g
