Let’s talk about quinoa. Nutty and delicate, this fast-cooking and super-tasty grain is becoming more and more popular. A complete protein, it’s high in fibre and an excellent source of iron and magnesium. Quite simply, it’s one of the healthiest pantry staples around and one of my favourite grains (although, technically it is a seed). In this recipe, we toss quinoa with some of our favourite salad ingredients (think tomatoes, cucumber and red pepper) and kick it up a notch with chickpeas for a protein burst. Add some crumbled feta and toss with a fresh lemon vinaigrette for the perfect #MeatlessMonday dish.
Serves 2 to 4
You’ll Need
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1/2 cucumber, diced
- 1 cup drained & rinsed chickpeas
- 3/4 cup diced feta cheese
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tsp Dijon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp each sea salt & cracked black pepper
- Freshly chopped basil for sprinkling
Prep and Cook
- 1Rinse 1 cup quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve under cold water for several minutes. In a medium pot, bring 2 cups of stock or water to a boil. Add quinoa, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until liquid has been soaked in completely. Remove pot from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- 2In a large salad bowl, combine cooled quinoa, tomatoes, red pepper, cucumber, feta and chickpeas.
- 3In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, Dijon, olive oil and sea salt until emulsified. Drizzle over salad and toss gently to combine. Divide between 4 salad bowls. Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately.
