Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas and Arugula

This salad, based on a recipe from one of Curtis Stone's cookbooks,  is very easy once you get through with the vegetable prep work.

Ingredients:

2 cups arugula
1 cup of quinoa
2 cups of  low sodium vegetable broth
1 English cucumber, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 red pepper, diced

Directions:

Add quinoa and vegetable broth to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until quinoa is cooked and the liquid has disappeared. Allow quinoa to cool.

Mix chopped vegetables, chickpeas, quinoa, and arugula together. Top with a pre-made dressing, or a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

This salad would also be good topped with some savory baked tofu for dinner.

Quinoa, Kale, and Broccoli Salad

 

 

I threw this recipe together based on what was in my fridge. Although it was a good salad warm, it was even better cold the next day!

Ingredients:

1/2 red onion, chopped finely

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups of kale, washed and shredded

1 cup of quinoa

2 cups of water

2 heads of broccoli, chopped into small florets

1 carrot, shredded

1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts

 

Dressing:

4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon of whole grain mustard

 

 

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in large frying pan. Add onion and garlic and fry until translucent, around 8 minutes. Add quinoa, kale, and water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and then simmer until the liquid is gone, around 15 minutes. Meanwhile, steam broccoli for 5 minutes, until bright green and slightly tender. Mix vinegar and mustard in a small bowl to make dressing.

 

When the quinoa and kale mixture is ready, add broccoli and carrots. Mix in dressing to taste. Top with pine nuts.

 

                                              

 

 

 

 

Spicy Quinoa Salad

Last weekend I took a very much anticipated trip to Florida. Beach time in January should be mandatory for everyone. Anyways, before I left I needed to whip up dinner and did not want to run to the grocery store prior to leaving for a few days. I threw this together in a few minutes, with supplies all found in my pantry. Not fancy at all, but definitely served in a pinch and actually tasted pretty good and filling. This would also be an easy lunchbox option.


2 cups cooked quinoa (cooked according to package)
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 cup of frozen corn, cooked
1 jar of salsa

Mix all ingredients together, adding the salsa to taste.

 

Quinoa, Chickpea, and Roasted Vegetable Salad

My orzo pasta salad worked out so well for lunches last week that I decided to make another salad this week. I have made quinoa & chickpea salads in the past and this time I roasted some fresh vegetables I had on hand to add flavor. I had every intention of making a lemon vinaigrette dressing from scratch when I started the salad....but by the end I got lazy and used some store bought salad dressing I already had instead (I used Newman’s Light Italian Dressing). Add some pita bread and voila - an easy, healthy pack-and-go lunch!

Ingredients:
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa (rinsed)
• 1 green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 zucchini, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 15oz can of chickpeas


Directions:
Cook the quinoa according to package directions. Once cooked, allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 425. Toss vegetables with a generous pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Roast for 30-45 minutes.

Rinse and drain the can of chickpeas. Transfer quinoa to large bowl and mix in chickpeas and roasted vegetables. Add about ¼ cup of dressing of your choice (as mentioned, I used Newman’s Own Lighten Up Italian). Chill before serving.