Perfect when the weather is warm, this colorful, light, summery salad is a combination of crunchy cucumbers, orange peppers, radishes, chickpeas, and tri-colored quinoa mixed with a lemon vinaigrette. So good to eat. So good for you!
I am not a huge salad eater. I like a cool, crisp salad when it's hot out, but not usually during the winter months. To me, the winter months are for comfort foods, like soups, stews, pasta, and casseroles. Summer is the time for frozen desserts, icy drinks, and refreshing salads. When the summer temperature rises in Arizona, turning the oven on is a no, no. I want to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible. I am OK with being at the stove for a short period, but it's the oven that makes the house too hot.
I first cooked with quinoa when I volunteered in the farmer's market kitchen at Elawa Farm in Lake Forest, Illinois. In past years, the kitchen was run by Gale Gand, who is a James Beard Award-winning pastry chef and cookbook author. In the summer of 2014, Gale was not there, but Mary McMahon was. Mary was a pastry chef and worked in restaurants, and she was the Executive Pastry Chef at Trio in Willowbrook, Illinois.
Working alongside Mary was invaluable! I learned a lot that summer. We made a quinoa salad that was from Gale's cookbook, Brunch, and offered it at the farmer's market. I learned a few things about cooking with quinoa. First, you should know that you rinse the quinoa before cooking it. Using a mesh strainer is essential because the seeds will go right through a colander. The reason you rinse quinoa before cooking is because there is a bitter coating on the seed. Another thing I learned is that quinoa holds a lot of water, so it is important that you allow it to drain before using it. Allowing it cool and dry out before putting it in a salad is crucial. And finally, learning to not overcook quinoa is very important. You don't want mushy seeds in your salad, do you? I didn't think so. Learning how to make that salad led me to recreate this quinoa salad my husband and I had at a restaurant.
Chickpeas. You either love them or hate them, am I right? I remember when I was younger, and I would pick the chickpeas out of canned minestrone. Now, I put them in salads. Funny how your taste changes as you get older. The same goes for radishes. Growing up, I remember seeing radishes on relish trays at certain restaurants, usually in a deli. The veggies would be a little appetizer before your meal came. The metal, silver tray, was filled with celery and carrot sticks, along with black olives, and radishes, carved to resemble flowers. I enjoy radishes now. They give a sharp, peppery flavor, and much-needed crunch to some salads.
There is an ingredient that you may not be familiar with in the dressing. It is sumac, and it has a tangy, lemony flavor that is less tart than fresh lemon juice. Sumac is used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking and is also the main ingredient in za'atar, which is another spice used in Middle Eastern cuisine, which is a blend of thyme and sesame seeds. I think it interesting to try new spices, but if you can't find sumac, you can use lemon zest in the salad dressing.
And there you have it! This salad is everything you want a summer salad to be. Easy, light, and healthy. This is perfect as a side dish, or it could even be the main dish if you add a protein to it. I hope you try this delicious salad.
Until next time friends, XO!
Quinoa & Chickpea Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish
2/3 cup tricolored quinoa (or plain if you can't find), cooked and cooled
1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained, and rinsed of foam
1/2 medium orange pepper, diced
1/2 cup diced radishes
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 English cucumber, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Micro kale greens for garnish
For Lemon Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons light flavored olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground sumac (optional)
A touch of lemon zest (in place of sumac, if you don't have)
Fine sea salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
In a small pot, add rinsed quinoa and pour water over the quinoa about a couple of inches above the top. Bring water to a boil, and cook quinoa for about 12 to 13 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh strainer and cool completely. You can speed this up the cooling process by putting the quinoa in a metal (preferred) bowl and placing it n the freezer for about 15. (This is what we did at the farmer's market kitchen.)
Combine the cooled quinoa with chickpeas, diced vegetables, and feta cheese. For the dressing, add all of the ingredients in a jar with a lid or shaker bottle. You can also whisk all of the ingredients in a small bowl if you don't have a jar or bottle with a lid. Shake until combined well. Toss dressing with the quinoa and chickpea salad.
*Sumac - has a tangy lemony flavor, and is less tart than lemon juice.
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