Description
A vibrant and flavorful dish with quinoa, chickpeas, and fresh herbs, perfect for a healthy meal.
Ingredients
- Quinoa: 1 cup (approx. 170g), uncooked
- Vegetable Broth or Water: 2 cups (approx. 480ml)
- Chickpeas: 1 can (15-ounce / 425g), rinsed and drained
- Fresh Parsley: ½ cup, finely chopped
- Fresh Mint: ¼ cup, finely chopped
- Fresh Dill: ¼ cup, finely chopped
- Green Onions (Scallions): 3-4 stalks, thinly sliced
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: ¼ cup (approx. 60ml)
- Lemon Juice: ¼ cup (approx. 60ml), freshly squeezed
- Lemon Zest: 1 tablespoon, from one lemon
- Garlic: 1-2 cloves, minced or finely grated
- Red Pepper Flakes: ¼ – ½ teaspoon (optional)
- Sea Salt: ¾ teaspoon, or to taste
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper: ½ teaspoon, or to taste
- Cucumber: ½ cup, diced (optional)
- Cherry Tomatoes: ½ cup, halved or quartered (optional)
- Feta Cheese: ¼ cup, crumbled (optional)
- Kalamata Olives: ¼ cup, pitted and halved (optional)
Instructions
- Thoroughly rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve under cold running water for at least 30 seconds.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the rinsed quinoa and vegetable broth (or water).
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove the saucepan from the heat and let it stand, covered, for another 5-10 minutes.
- Uncover and fluff the quinoa gently with a fork. Set aside to cool slightly.
- While the quinoa is cooking, prepare your fresh ingredients by finely chopping the parsley, mint, and dill, and thinly slicing the green onions.
- If using, dice the cucumber and halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes.
- Rinse and drain the canned chickpeas thoroughly.
- In a small bowl or jar, combine olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), sea salt, and black pepper.
- Whisk everything together until the dressing is well emulsified.
- Taste the dressing and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Notes
- Rinsing quinoa is important to remove bitterness.
- Feel free to customize the herbs based on your preference.
- The dish can be served warm or chilled.
- This recipe is great for meal prep as it stores well in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 8g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 0mg