Quinoa Chickpea Salad- High In Protein

If you are looking for a simple healthy meal, this high protein salad is perfect. It's filling and satisfying without being heavy and high in fat. It's a crowd pleaser that everyone seems to like! 

Have you ever made quinoa?

It's easy to find in a bag in any supermarket (near the rice section) and cooks up light and fluffy!

 Quinoa is a non-animal protein with 8 grams per cooked cup and 5 grams of fiber.  In addition, quinoa provides valuable nutrients and antioxidants and is naturally gluten-free. It has a unique mild nutty flavor and pairs well with just about anything (except pasta). It's worth giving it a try! The Instant Pot makes perfect quinoa every time. 

Did I mention that we are transitioning to Florida for the winter right now? 

All the snow birds are driving to Florida from all over and traffic can get bad
especially with construction

After driving for 20 hours over 2 days, we finally arrived in Florida around 5:00 PM on Wednesday. It was a long ride and we were tired and yes there is always traffic near Miami Beach.

We unpacked the few items we bring quickly and then, as exhausted as we were, we went out for dinner because we had skipped breakfast or lunch that day (we had some snacks in the car such as gf pretzels, apples, and nuts to tide us over until dinner).

The next day on Thursday, we did some light grocery shopping mostly for fruits and vegetables. I'm always surprised that the Florida produce is more expensive than the produce in Pennsylvania.

We leave staples in the condo such as cans of chickpeas, quinoa, rice, pasta, olives, olive oil, and other things that won't go bad during our 5 month absence. So, I ran to the store to get some fruit, salad fixings, and vegetables. 

For tonight's meal I cooked quinoa and then mixed it with canned chickpeas, diced tomatoes, diced cucumber, fresh spinach leaves, lemon juice, and fresh lemon zest. I wanted to keep the recipe low in fat-  but you could add olive oil and slivered almonds for additional taste and richness. 

We are settling into our beach condo and reuniting with our friends- some of our friends are also snowbirds; some live here all year. 

So far, we have received three invites for dinners over the next 2 weeks! It's so much fun and so much socializing in our Florida home. 

Of course when we are invited, it's expected that we will contribute to the meal with a side dish and bring our own wine- so it's sort of a potluck. 

This salad is my contribution for tonight's invite! I must confess that I am the only vegetarian and gluten free person in our group, so they always ask me to bring something I can eat. We will be 10 adults. 

Author of the blog: Judee Algazi

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 8-10 for a side dish (especially if there are other sides)

      or 4 for an entree. 

Ingredients:

3 cups of cooked quinoa (1.5 uncooked)

1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas (from a can works)

1 1/2 cups of diced cherry tomatoes

1 1/2 cups of diced Kirby cucumber

1/2 cup of chopped parsley or cilantro ( I like cilantro)

2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach (stems removed)

Himalayan Salt, freshly cracked pepper

1/4 teaspoon of freshly zested lemon zest (I use organic lemons)

Juice of 1 large juicy lemon (1/2 cup of juice)

Optional: slivered almonds and olive oil 

Directions: 

In a large bowl (I like a flat wide bowl) add cooked quinoa, cooked chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, and seasoning. Mix well and serve.

Other interesting quinoa recipes: 

Asian Quinoa Slaw  (perfect for a pot luck)

Quinoa Lover's Salad (an elegant dinner salad)

Quinoa Tabouleh  (a lemony treat)

Quinoa With Pine Nuts ( a delicious hot quinoa dish)

Moroccan Quinoa ( one of my favorite hot quinoa dishes)

My Notes: 

1. I like to make this salad and serve it at room temperature. It can be served cold too, but I prefer it at room temp. 

2. It's a great side dish for everyone or an entree for vegans since it's high in protein and fiber.

3. Quinoa comes out perfectly light and fluffy every time when  quinoa is made in the Instant Pot ( link to recipe)  

You can look at the Instant Pot by clicking on this Link 

Instant Pot 6 quart (affiliate link on Amazon) 

4. Dried chickpeas cook soft and creamy in the IP too.  make your own dried chickpeas in the Instant Pot too. (Link to recipe)

🙏🙏🙏🙏 Still praying for peace in the Middle East  🙏🙏🙏🙏

Instant Pot 6 quart (affiliate link on Amazon) 

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