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.
3.2.2708
