Chickpeas & Quinoa Salad [Vegetarian]

I’m looking forward to a rather busy weekends. For this instance, I mean good busy – catching up with friends, having coffee at the Bill’s Bean (in Orange) and lunching at a new Japanese eatery where I still can’t get enough of its intricate and addictive sushi (tempura prawn sushi, here I come again!).

As a reflection of my mood and anticipation for the upcoming weekends, I shall leave you with a colourful and delicious (not to mention hearty) salad perfect for a hassle free weekend meal.

Chickpeas & Quinoa Salad

(adapted mostly from The Australian Women’s Weekly – Slim)

Salad Ingredients:

• 400g / 14 oz canned chickpeas
• 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa & boiling water to cook the quinoa
• 1 tomato
• 1 lebanese cucumber
• 1/2 red onion
• A handfull of parsley
• 2 tbsp pre-sliced kalamata olives

Lemon vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder

Yoghurt Dressing:

• 200g /  7 oz Greek yoghurt
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 garlic clove
• A pinch of salt (adjust to your taste)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (adjust to your taste)
• Chives or spring onion (optional)

Method:

• Rinse quinoa over a fine mesh. Then add 1/2 cup boiling water into a pot together with quinoa and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes until the water is fully absorbed over low heat.

{To learn more about cooking quinoa, please watch the following video which I found to be very helpful. :)}

• Drain chickpeas and rinse with some boiling water over a fine mesh. Set aside in a large mixing bowl. Then move on to dicing the cucumber (roughly), remove the core of the tomato and dice roughly, chop parsley and slice onion finely. Set all aside in the mixing bowl with the chickpeas as well as olives. When the quinoa is cooked, add it into the bowl also.

• Whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients with a fork. Set aside.

• In a separate bowl, whisk yoghurt until fluffy and add grated garlic.

• Followed by a pinch of salt and maple syrup. Whisk again until the ingredients are well combine.

• Add chopped chives or spring onion and stir well.

• To serve: Dress the salad with vinaigrette, then top with yoghurt dressing. Add more chopped chives if you like.

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