Keeping it healthy, for me, is all in the preparedness. If I’m ravished and the first thing I see is a box of crackers, that’s what gets inhaled. So most Sundays I try to carve out a little time to fill the fridge with healthy go-to’s and hopefully keep myself from even looking in that cupboard where I hide those crackers. This afternoon prep time usually includes cooking up a pot of quinoa or other grain, roasting some veggies and making sure there’s plenty of fruit prepared front and center. That way it’s easy to throw together a salad like this one on a whim or make a batch of it and have the foundation for my brown bag lunch all week long.
chickpea, quinoa and roasted yam salad
Author: Whitewater Cooks with Friends by Shelley Adams
Serves: 4 cups
Ingredients
Dressing
- 3 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Dijon
- 1 tsp honey or agave
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
Salad
- ½ cup quinoa
- 1½ cups yams, peeled and cut into ½˝ cubes
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 14-oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
- 1 red pepper, diced
- ½ cup sunflower seeds, toasted
- 1 cup spinach, chopped coarsely
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- For the dressing, whisk together vinegar, Dijon, honey or agave, garlic, pepper and olive oil in a small bowl and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place quinoa and ¾ cup cold water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce to low heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. Turn heat off, leaving lid on, and let stand for 5 minutes. Cool completely.
- Toss yams in olive oil, cracked pepper and salt and spread on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes.
- Place chickpeas, carrots, red pepper, sunflower seeds, spinach, parsley, feta, cooled quinoa and yams in a large bowl.
- Pour dressing over all ingredients in bowl and toss gently until mixed well.
Chickpeas are one of my favorite peas!!! Is there another pea or bean that you would substitute??
Remember to add it to your Besty List!
http://www.thebesty.com/bistroonesix
Hi Julie! I’d try a Northern White Bean in place of the garbanzo bean if you wan to mix it up. Thanks for the question!
This was sooooo delicious…. I could eat this salad every day and not get sick of it. Even better the next day!!
Yeah! So glad you liked it! Thanks for the comment Sommer.