Quinoa Salad with Tomato, Lemon, Cilantro, Chickpeas and Avocado

Amelie Amelie
posted Sep 13, 2012
1
Attached Recipe Photo

I made this salad recently and thought it was too good to keep to myself. I posted about it on my blog (http://www.lactosefreegirl.com/2012/09/salads-of-moment.html), along with another delicious salad (tomatoes, edamame, red onion and avocado, with a red wine vinegar-olive oil-Dijon dressing: divine!). This saiad was the best thing ever, and I'll be sure to make it again.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup dry quinoa
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1 cup cilantro
  • 1/4 cup onion
  • 2 teaspoons garlic
  • 2 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 2 avocados, chopped
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon agave nectar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin

Directions

  1. Start by making the quinoa: soak the quinoa in a pot in the vegetable broth for about 15 minutes. Turn the heat on to medium-high and let the quinoa come to a boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium-low and let the quinoa simmer. Stir every so often and cook quinoa about 20-25 minutes, just until the liquid is absorbed – don’t let it dry out completely, though; when there is just a tiny amount of liquid left in the pot, remove it from the heat and cover. Set aside to cool.
  2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, put the spinach and cilantro. Process until the greens are finely diced. (You can do this by hand if you don’t have a food processor.) Put the greens in the serving bowl and set aside.
  3. As long as the food processor is out and dirtied, use it to chop the onion and garlic, then add to the greens mixture. Add the chickpeas to the serving bowl and mix well. When your quinoa has cooled, add it to the bowl as well, along with the tomatoes.
  4. Make the dressing by whisking all the remaining ingredients together, adding salt and pepper to taste. Pour over salad and mix until combined. You can set the salad aside for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Serve and top with avocado.
  • cook time
    25 min.
  • prep time
    20 min.
  • yields
    4 serv.

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