Chickpea Salad with Quinoa

6 servings

Tip: There is no question that quinoa is popular among those who seek healthful ingredients in their diet. I used white quinoa in this recipe, but did you know it’s available in a multitude of colors…red, purple, black, orange, pink, green, even rainbow mixes? I haven’t tried them all (yet), but there are so many ways to incorporate quinoa into recipes, I definitely want to experiment this fall. I encourage you to give it a try too!

Ingredients
1/2 cup dry quinoa
2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas
1 medium cucumber
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/4 red onion
1/4 cup Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta
Sea Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Vinaigrette Ingredients
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic

Prep
Cook dry quinoa in water according to package directions. Cool to room temp or in refrigerator (this can be done the day before making the salad).
Drain liquid from cans of chickpeas, then rinse well with cold water; drain well.
Wash and dry all vegetables and parsley.
Dice cucumber, red & yellow bell peppers to similar size.
Mince red onion.
Chop parsley.
Drain and chop kalamata olives.
Mince garlic clove (for dressing).

Directions
Measure all vinaigrette ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together thoroughly (or place in a jar with a lid and shake well.
Put chilled quinoa, chickpeas, bell peppers, onion, kalamatas, parsley and feta in a large bowl. Pour most of the vinaigrette over and toss gently to coat all ingredients. Taste for seasoning; add S&P as needed. Use remaining dressing as needed just before you serve the salad.