Quinoa and Chickpea Salad

Quinoa and Chickpea Salad

Quinoa has certainly made its debut a few years ago, as the new super food and is now available at any supermarket.  It is high in protein, gluten-free, and low in fat.  It also has a great texture, since it is more of a seed than a grain, and therefore keeps its texture for days.  I love this delicious salad because it maintains its integrity for up to a week refrigerated. I usually make a large batch and take it on the go for a healthy lunch and its great at room temperature.

To prepare perfect quinoa, begin by first thoroughly rinsing it.  There is an outer coating on the seed which tends to be bitter.  Always cook quinoa with 2-1 ration of water (twice as much of water).  For this recipe, bring 4 cups of water with a generous pinch of salt to a boil in a medium pot. Once the water comes to a boil, add 2 cups of quinoa and stir. Reduce heat to low and cover.  Allow quinoa to cook for 15 minutes.  Remove and drain, don't rinse.  I usually place the drained quinoa back into the same warm pot, cover and let it rest for 10 minutes or so. This allows it to absorb the residual moisture and cool down to room temperature.

Meanwhile, chop the red pepper, celery, olives, and red onion in small cubes.  Mince parsley.  Place quinoa in a serving dish, add rinsed chickpeas, vegetables, olives, parsley, oregano, and cumin.  Drizzle 5 tbsp of olive oil and 3 tbsp of lemon juice.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Blend well and enjoy!   You can really use any vegetables or herbs you like that marry well, it is a good opportunity to clean up your fridge and pantry.  I had an ear of cooked left over corn.  I have also made a Tex-Mex version of this salad with black beans, jalapeno, red pepper, corn, and kicked up the spice.  A Mediterranean version is also lovely, featuring sun-dried tomatoes, olives, basil, feta, etc...  Have fun with it!

Ingredients (6 servings)

2 cups quinoa

1 cup chickpeas

1/3 cup red pepper

1/3 cup corn

1/3 cup parsley

1/3 cup red onion

1/4 cup black olives

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp lemon fresh lemon juice

Salt & Pepper