Home » Dinner Recipes » Chickpea Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Chickpea Black Bean Quinoa Salad



Chickpea Black Bean Quinoa Salad



In 8 short days, I will venture out to California to finally find my wedding dress. This trip certainly crept up quick, and although I always try to eat as healthy and clean as possible, I haven’t been as strict as I probably should have been this past few weeks. I guess it all seems surreal to me, which is completely evident given my lack of ambition to kick it up a notch on the fitness routine. Considering this is going to be such a quick trip (1 day!) I want to make sure I feel my best, so last night I vowed to my fiance Ben that I am going take this next week to clean up my act. I definitely don’t want to feel bloated and uncomfortable since I know that will completely affect my dress hunt, and without a whole lot of time to find ‘the one,’ I need to make the most of the time I do have. That means no bloating allowed!



Chickpea Black Bean Quinoa Salad



Before I could embark on my strict 8 day body clean up, I had to have somewhat of a farewell meal to the starchy deliciousness I love so much. This isn’t even a ‘cheat’ meal, but considering beans and bloat often go hand in hand for me, I am planning to cut back for the time being. This Chickpea Black Bean Quinoa Salad is actually an incredibly healthy dish, full of vibrant veggies, fiber and protein. It is super filling as a meal on its’ own if you’re looking for something vegetarian, and it also makes a great side dish to a lean cut of meat. Ben had it with a pork chop and said it was awesome. The lemon-cumin vinaigrette on this salad is so flavorful and refreshing, you will find it hard to not go back for seconds (trust me, I did). I can guarantee that as soon as the dress hunt is over, I will be enjoying this tasty dish as soon as I possibly can.

click ‘more for recipe

Chickpea Black Bean Quinoa Salad
 
Author: The Lean Clean Eating Machine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
A vibrant, nutrient filled vegetarian main course or side dish.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup red quinoa; soaked and rinsed
  • 2 cups organic no-chicken broth or vegetable broth
  • 1 medium red pepper
  • 1/2 of a small red onion or 1/4-1/2 cup
  • 2 green onions; sliced thin
  • 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 1 15oz can of black beans; drained and rinsed
  • 1 15oz can garbanzo beans; drained and rinsed
  • ***Vinaigrette:***
  • 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. ground cumin
  • 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
  • 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • (This will make more than you need, but add a little at a time until salad is coated to your liking. Adjust seasonings to taste.)
Instructions
  1. In medium saucepan bring 2 cups of broth to a boil.
  2. Add in 1 cup of soaked and rinsed quinoa, return to a boil then cover and simmer on low.
  3. Set timer for 15 minutes.
  4. In a strainer, rinse off black beans and garbanzo beans. Gently shake to remove excess water and set aside to let remaining water run off.
  5. In a large mixing bowl, add in chopped cilantro, chopped parsley, red pepper, red onion and green onion. Add in beans last and mix ingredients together.
  6. In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for vinaigrette and whisk well. Set aside.
  7. When quinoa is finished (the majority of water will be absorbed), uncover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes, or until all of water is absorbed.
  8. Add finished quinoa into the large mixing bowl with all other ingredients and stir.
  9. Add in 1/2 of the lemon-cumin vinaigrette dressing to the the salad and mix thoroughly.
  10. Place quinoa salad into the fridge for 15-20 minutes to cool.
  11. Toss and taste for needed seasonings before serving.
 
Notes
This recipe makes about 4 meal servings and 6 side dish servings. This salad saves extremely well in the fridge, so feel free to make this dish ahead of time if needed. Just toss and check for needed seasonings before serving. Save dressing mixture for leftovers. The salad will absorb a good amount of the dressing, and you may need to add more if you plan to serve it the following day. Make sure dressing is mixed well before adding.

 

6 comments on Chickpea Black Bean Quinoa Salad

  1. maillots de foot 2014
    November 19, 2013 at 10:40 pm (10 years ago)

    I’m extremely impressed with your composing capabilities as nicely as with the format on your weblog.Is this a compensated topic or did you personalize it oneself? Both way hold up the wonderful quality creating, it is unusual to see a wonderful website like this one these times

    Reply
    • Danielle
      November 20, 2013 at 5:12 am (10 years ago)

      Thank you maillots!

      Reply
  2. photos bottes style ugg
    December 6, 2013 at 8:59 pm (10 years ago)

    Awesome blog. I enjoyed reading your articles. This is truly a great read for me. I have bookmarked it and I am looking forward to reading new articles. Keep up the good work.

    Reply
    • Danielle
      December 7, 2013 at 7:56 am (10 years ago)

      Thank you for the kind words! I am glad you are enjoying it :)

      Reply
  3. Lisa
    April 18, 2014 at 5:09 pm (10 years ago)

    Nice website and this salad is exactly what I was looking for. Can’t see the vinaigrette recipe. Can you help?

    Reply
    • Danielle
      April 20, 2014 at 10:10 am (10 years ago)

      Hi Lisa! I am SO sorry I did not see your comment sooner! For some reason it was marked as spam :/

      The ingredients for the vinaigrette:
      1/3 cup fresh lime juice
      1/2 cup olive oil
      2 Tbsp. ground cumin
      1 Tbsp. minced garlic
      1 tsp. red wine vinegar
      Salt and pepper to taste

      This will make more than you need for the dish, but it saves well in the fridge!

      Reply

Leave a Reply