Quinoa and chickpea salad
Fluffy quinoa, chickpeas and crunchy vegetables in a lemony tahini dressing, a vegan lunch that gets better by day two.
- 45 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.02 a serving
- 500 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
- ¾ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
From your pantry
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 500 calories, 23 g protein, 72 g carbs and 15 g fat, and costs about $2.02 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No cucumbers? English cucumbers or mini cucumbers work.
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.
- No lemons? Limes work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the quinoa in a fine strainer under cold water for 30 seconds, rubbing it with your fingers.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Dolly’s tip: Rinsing washes off a natural coating that tastes bitter and a little soapy.Put the quinoa, 2 cups of water and ½ teaspoon salt in a and on high.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cover, turn the heat to low and 15 minutes, until the water is gone and you can see little white spirals on the grains.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Take the pot off the heat and leave the lid on for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and spread the quinoa on a plate to cool for 10 minutes.
Timer: 15 min
Dolly’s tip: Warm quinoa wilts the vegetables and turns gummy in the dressing. Cooling it first keeps every grain separate.While it cools, the cucumber and tomatoes and the parsley.
Dice. Dicing means cutting food into small, even cubes, usually a quarter to half an inch across. Pieces the same size cook at the same speed, so nothing burns while the rest catches up.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are little cubes about the size of a chickpea, and they all look close to the same.
Chop. Chopping means cutting food into bite-size pieces that don’t need to be neat. Keep them roughly the same size so everything cooks evenly.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are about half an inch and roughly alike, even if none of them are pretty.
In a big bowl, the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, pepper, the rest of the salt and 3 tablespoons of water until smooth and pourable.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Dolly’s tip: Tahini seizes up and looks lumpy at first. Keep whisking and it turns silky.Add the quinoa, chickpeas and vegetables to the bowl and until everything is coated.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Eat it right away or pack it into 4 containers. It keeps 4 days in the fridge.
Dolly’s tip: This one does not go soggy, so you can dress it all at once. It keeps 4 days in the fridge.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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