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Mediterranean Quinoa Chickpea Salad

Almost as high in protein as pulses, quinoa is a quick-cooking grain that adds a little crunch to this chickpea salad.

Pulse
Chickpeas
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Makes
6–8 servings

Nutrition

  • Serving Size 3/4 cup (175 mL)
  • Calories 189
  • Fat 11 g
  • Saturated Fat 2 g
  • Cholesterol 5 mg
  • Carbohydrate 18 g
  • Fibre 3 g
  • Sugars 4 g
  • Protein 5 g
  • Sodium 120 mg
  • Potassium 258 mg
  • Folate 70 mcg
  • Iron 1.5 mg

Ingredients

    Salad

  • 1 cup (250 mL) water
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) dry quinoa, rinsed & drained
  • 1 cup (250 mL) cooked or canned chickpeas, drained & rinsed
  • 1/2 red pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup (250 mL) cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cucumber, chopped
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) black olives, chopped
  • 1/3 cup (75 mL) feta cheese

    • Dressing (makes 1 1/4 cups/300 mL)

  • 3/4 cup (175 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup (75 mL) balsamic vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp (30 mL) white wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp (15 mL) sugar (optional)
  • 1 clove garlic, finely grated
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) dried basil
  • 1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried crushed red pepper
  • freshly ground salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Place water and quinoa in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes until quinoa is soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Quinoa will absorb remaining water and become quite fluffy. If you prefer a crunchier quinoa, drain off any remaining water and then allow to cool completely.

In a large bowl place the chickpeas, peppers, tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, black olives and feta. Mix together and add the cooled quinoa.

Whisk together the oil, vinegars, lemon juice, mustard, sugar, garlic and spices. Pour 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the dressing over salad. Toss well and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to combine. For a moister salad, add more dressing or place remaining dressing in a spritzer bottle and add additional dressing to individual salads as desired.

Tips

  • For a quick dressing, mix together equal portions of commercial balsamic vinaigrette and spicy Italian vinaigrette and add to the salad.

Leave a Review

Rating

Reviews [3]

Kamielle Strong
I liked it

This is a really tasty, quick, and easy salad to throw together and eat as a side or a meal! I added some shredded carrots and parsley I had to use up, which made for delicious and colourful additions. I also cut back the oil to 1/2 cup, upped the balsamic vinegar to about 1/2 cup and squeezed in a little more than 1 tbsp lemon juice. I’m vegan so I omitted the feta and simply used extra black olives. I really liked it and recommend highly! This was exactly what I was looking for when I thought of a cold salad for meal prep this week!!

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jolene

We are so glad you enjoyed the Mediterranean Quinoa Chickpea Salad, it is one of our favorites as well! Thank you for the vegan tips!

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