This is a hit in my house – why? You can assemble it to your liking AND it is so healthy if you combine it all. What does “so healthy” mean? It contains real whole foods that contain fiber, protein (plant & animal), healthy fats, nutrients and phytochemicals to both keep us healthy and build our immune system. And it’s delicious to boot. I use the seasoned chickpeas in lots of things, and they are a great snack on their own! So give it a try! TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! TELL ME WHAT YOU CHANGED! I can’t wait to hear!
Note: Since the chickpeas can be prepped and in the oven quickly, the total time to make this salad can be about 30 minutes (Prep and Cook). So when you get home, get the chickpeas out to dry and preheat the oven (1 min). Go do “other things” for 10-15 minutes (empty the kids lunch boxes, answer a few emails, throw in a load of laundry). Then season the chickpeas, throw them in the oven and use that 25 minutes to prep the rest of the salad. OR let the chickpeas dry, preheat the oven, prep the rest of the salad, season and throw in the chickpeas, and use the cook time to do all of the “other things”. 🙂 I am always looking for ways to make my time more efficient so I can actually sit down afterwards and relax before getting ready for tomorrow.
Servings: 3
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Ingredients
- 1 can (15oz) organic chickpeas
- 1/2 dried organic quinoa
- 1 organic avocado
- 4 cups organic arugula
- 1 pint organic cherry tomatoes
- 1 organic english cucumber
- 3/4 organic, pasture-raised feta cheese
- 2 Tb organic Lemon juice
- 2 TB organic Olive Oil
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt (plus pinch)
- 1/2 tsp pepper (plus pinch)
- 1 TB Avocado Oil
Per serving, this salad gives you 20 grams of protein (6 animal, 14 plant). If you serve it with chicken or add chicken to the salad, it’s a 50-grams-per-serving meal. Note: That would equate to 36 grams of animal protein, which are complete proteins, and 14 grams of plant proteins – 8 from the quinoa are complete and 6 from the chickpea are incomplete and require more variety of amino acids to build complete proteins for you, but still very useful on the road to good health.
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Rinse the chickpeas and lay them out on a towel to dry. (If you’re also making my simple Baked Chicken recipe, this is a good time to make the brine and place in the chicken breasts).
- Halve the tomatoes.
- Dice the cucumbers and avocado.
- Rough chop the arugula (twice).
- Prepare the quinoa per the package instructions.
- In a medium sized bowl, add the spices (Paprika, Cumin, Garlic, Salt & Pepper) and mix. Toss the chickpeas, plus about 1 TB of Avocado Oil.
- On a baking sheet with parchment paper, pour on the chickpeas, shake on more seasonings as desired, and put in the oven for 25 minutes. Give it a little shake about halfway through.
- For the Dressing: Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Allow the chickpeas and quinoa cool, combine the components and enjoy!
Quality matters. This delicious meal is nutritious, protein-packed and anti-oxidizing (keeps your immune system strong and your cells healthy). An organic certification keeps the destructive pesticides off your food, and won’t counter all the good work this meal will do for your body!
Pairs great with your favorite Baked Chicken recipe!
One response to “Quinoa-Chickpea Protein Salad”
wow!! 60Quinoa-Chickpea Protein Salad