A perfect weeknight salad that is versatile and can use the majority of your garden fresh ingredients.
Preparation:
To cook:
Level: Easy
Ingredients
- 2 cups Lightly salted water
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 whole Red or orange bell pepper, seeded, diced
- 1 whole Medium tomato, seeded, diced
- 1 whole Jalapeno, seeded, diced
- 1 cup Red onion, finely diced
- 1 whole Cucumber, seeded, diced
- 1 cup Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 cup Pan-fried chickpeas (optional)
- 1 whole Lemon, Zest And Juice
- 2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon Cracked black pepper, to taste
Preparation
Bring lightly salted water to a boil. Add quinoa, stir, cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 15 minutes. The water should be absorbed and the quinoa should be translucent. Taste until tender. Once tender, remove from heat, pour into a mixing bowl and allow to cool.
Prepare the diced ingredients. I leave it up to you to leave the skin on your cucumber or not. I’m a fan of the skin with my vegetables, be it cucumbers, potatoes or carrots. Again, I leave the choice up to you. Just be sure to get rid of the seeds. Once you have all your vegetables chopped and diced, add them to the bowl of quinoa. If you go for a bit more protein, add the refried chickpeas to the pan (great for texture).
Add lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with a generous pinch of salt and a little cracked black pepper. Stir well to combine everything, then taste it. Does it need more salt, pepper or oil? If so, go ahead and adjust to your liking.
You are now ready to serve.
