Spring Radiance Quinoa & Garden Chickpea Salad
This Spring salad is delicious and simple. If you enjoy grains and legumes, then this salad is for you. It could be served as a main dish at lunch or a side salad at dinner. I invite you to play with the spices to find what you enjoy, the mint is a lovely addition, the cumin is wonderful with the parsley, and even cilantro could be fantastic in this one.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dry quinoa
- 1 cup Cooked or canned chickpeas or other white beans
- 1 cup Fresh asparagus or green beans if you prefer
- 1 cup Cherry tomatoes or diced red bell pepper
- 2 Tablespoons diced Fresh herbs: parsley and/or mint
- 3 Tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoons Fresh lemon juice and 1 tsp zest
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette (consider a fig balsamic or to taste)
- 2 cloves Garlic diced
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 1 large head of butter lettuce or large bag of spring mix or arugula
Instructions
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Cook quinoa in water or vegetable broth until fluffy. 1 Cup quinoa to 2 cups water. When cooked, let cool slightly in a large bowl.
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Lightly steam or roast chopped asparagus until just tender crisp; add to the quinoa with drained chickpeas and chopped vegetables. Asparagus trick: snap the ends off, and allow it to snap where it goes naturally, this will eliminate the woody part, cook the rest)
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In a small jar, combine olive oil, balsamic, lemon juice and zest, minced garlic, salt, and pepper; shake well, then pour over the warm salad and toss with chopped herbs.
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Taste and adjust seasoning; serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled—any temperature works for a main or side.
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Serve on bed of lettuce if you desire.
Recipe Notes
Optional add‑ins: sliced radishes (consider watermelon radishes for this dish), cucumber, green onion, avocado, toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds, or a pinch of smoked paprika or cumin.
