Greek Chickpea Quinoa Salad

Greek Chickpea Quinoa Salad has recently earned its place in my regular recipe rotation.

Unlike most salads that leave you hungry, this salad is ultimately satisfying thanks to a heaping spoonful of warm quinoa, hearty chickpeas, and a creamy dollop of hummus. In addition to being hearty and healthy, it's a cinch to pull together. You can easily chop the veggies for the salad in the time it takes to cook the quinoa.

This salad is also a fabulous make-ahead meal. When entertaining house guests for lunch, I like to prep the salad (sans avocado) and quinoa in the morning - or even the day before - leaving me plenty of time to enjoy my company. Simply reheat the quinoa in the microwave for a few quick seconds and toss some diced avocado into the salad bowl. Serve the chickpea salad and warm quinoa alongside prepared hummus and pita chips, and your lunch buffet is ready to go!

Greek Chickpea Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

For the salad

· 15oz canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

· 1 red pepper, chopped

· 1 orange pepper, chopped

· 1 english cucumber, chopped

· 2 avocados, diced

· 10oz grape tomatoes, halved

· 2 tbsp red onion, minced

· 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped

· 4oz feta cheese, diced

· 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

· 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

· 1/3 cup Greek dressing

· 8-10oz hummus

· Pita chips

For the quinoa

· 4 cups chicken stock

· 2 cup quinoa

· ½ tsp dried oregano

· ½ tsp garlic powder

· ½ tsp salt

· 2 tbsp Greek dressing

For the salad… in a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, vegetables, olives, cheese, and herbs. Toss with 1/3 cup Greek dressing, or more to taste, until evenly coated. Chill until ready to serve.

For the quinoa… bring the chicken stock to a boil in a medium sauce pot. Stir in the quinoa, oregano, garlic powder, and salt. Simmer quinoa over low heat for 15-20 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat. Drizzle over 2 tbsp Greek dressing. Fluff with a fork.

To serve… spoon some of the warm quinoa into a bowl. Top the quinoa with a heaping portion of the chilled chickpea salad. Top with a generous dollop of hummus. If desired, serve with pita chips.

Serves 4

Gluten Free Friendly!