This Mediterranean quinoa salad with chickpeas is quick, easy, light, filling, protein-rich, and delicious!
Hi guys! Hope you had a lovely weekend 🙂 Today’s post happens to be the 200th post on my blog, a tiny space in the web world. But it is a little milestone for me, nonetheless.
Usually, I tend to lean towards sharing a dessert for such little occasions, but I thought I’d change that up. So this time around, I have this super healthy, protein-rich Mediterranean Quinoa Salad to share with you. And with this post, I’m also pleased that quinoa has made an appearance on my blog.
I didn’t take a liking to quinoa the first time I tasted it, probably because I did not cook it right. So, I simply forgot about this seed and moved on.
I picked up this bag of frozen quinoa and chickpea salad on a whim and partly also to try quinoa again. We all know how nutritious this superfood is!! Giving it a go the second time around wouldn’t hurt, right? And I’m glad I did, I loved that salad, it was wholesome and delicious. Made me a quinoa-loving convert in an instant 🙂
Since I enjoyed that salad so much, I thought I’d recreate it at home and infuse some Mediterranean elements. I usually have most things in my pantry except for the Feta cheese. I even had a packet of quinoa sitting there, untouched, begging to be used! These cherry tomatoes are from our very own tiny little garden. Using fresh home produce just adds a little extra to any dish. Don’t you think too?
I love the crunch from the veggies, saltiness from the feta and kalamata olives, the sweetness from the cherry tomatoes, a bite from the creamy chickpeas and a simple homemade dressing that ties all of this together! We just make a meal out of it or sometimes have it as a side with some grilled chicken.
You can add more or less of the veggies, as you fancy. But there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t be trying this. This Mediterranean quinoa salad with chickpeas is definitely making more rounds on our table 🙂
If you are looking for some quinoa recipes, don’t forget to give this easy Mediterranean quinoa salad a go!
- How to cook quinoa?
- Enjoyed this Mediterranean quinoa salad? Then you may also like these easy salad recipes
- How to make Mediterranean quinoa salad with chickpeas – Step by step instructions
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad With Chickpeas
How to cook quinoa?
- 1 cup of dry quinoa yields 3 cups of cooked quinoa. You will need a 1:2 ratio of quinoa to liquid, i.e. liquid has to be double the amount of quinoa, it is just like cooking rice.
- You can use 2 cups of cooked quinoa for this recipe and refrigerate the remaining quinoa in an air-tight container up to 3 days. Use it in breakfast porridges, stir-fries, smoothies or croquettes, etc.
Or use the following measures to make 2 cups of cooked quinoa-
Measure 2/3 cup dry quinoa, place it in a fine-mesh strainer, rinse under running water to remove the bitter flavor. (Most quinoa available commercially is often pre-rinsed, still, it is a good idea to rinse it).
Place the drained quinoa along with 320 ml (1 & 1/3 cups) water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, add 1/8 teaspoon of salt. You can also add dried herbs like oregano, basil, parsley, or smashed garlic, etc at this stage for additional flavor. Give it a quick mix, turn the heat to medium-low, cover the saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed.
Once the quinoa is cooked, fluff it with a fork, remove it from the pot, let it cool for few minutes and use it as directed in this Mediterranean quinoa salad recipe.
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How to make Mediterranean quinoa salad with chickpeas – Step by step instructions
Step 1: Add all the salad ingredients in a large bowl
In a sufficiently large bowl, add 2 cups of cooked quinoa, 1-(15 oz) can of rinsed and drained chickpeas, 1 & 1/2 cups each of cherry tomatoes and diced English cucumber along with 10-12 olives (pitted, drained, and sliced), 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion, 1/2 cup loosely packed chopped parsley and 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese.
Tip: To reduce the pungency of onions, place them in a bowl of ice-cold water for 10-15 minutes. Drain and use in the recipe.
Step 2: Prepare the dressing and pour it over the salad
Whisk 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons orange juice (optional), 1 teaspoon each of honey, lemon zest, minced garlic, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, a pinch of salt and freshly cracked pepper, until well blended.
Or add all the dressing ingredients in a Mason jar, close the jar, and shake vigorously until emulsified.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to combine. Serve right away or refrigerate and serve later.
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Mediterranean Quinoa Salad With Chickpeas
Ingredients1x2x3x
For the salad
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 (15-ounce) canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1.5 cups peeled and diced cucumber, about 1/2 an English cucumber
- 10-12 olives, pitted, drained, and sliced
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
- 1/2 cup loosely packed chopped parsley
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
For the dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon orange juice, optional
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed between your palms
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Add all the salad ingredients in a sufficiently large bowl.
- Add all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well blended.
- Pour the dressing over the salad, toss well to combine. Serve right away or refrigerate and serve later.
Notes
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad With Chickpeas
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 (15-ounce) canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1.5 cups peeled and diced cucumber, about 1/2 an English cucumber
- 10-12 olives, pitted, drained, and sliced
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
- 1/2 cup loosely packed chopped parsley
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
For the dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon orange juice, optional
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed between your palms
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Add all the salad ingredients in a sufficiently large bowl.
- Add all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well blended.
- Pour the dressing over the salad, toss well to combine. Serve right away or refrigerate and serve later.
Notes
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PickNaturesSweetness #CollectiveBias
This finger millet porridge | ragi porridge sweetened with Truvia Natural Sweetener is delicious and just what you need to start your day on a great note.
I can’t believe it is soon going to be a year since I had my baby girl, K! I’m still struggling with weight issues and just don’t find time for any fitness routine whatsoever. But I do realize I need to start getting serious about it before I get too lax & things get out of hand. Being a food blogger doesn’t really help either, if you know what I mean! 😀 And so it was my New Year’s resolution to eat smarter. As a result I’ve decided to make dietary changes along with light exercises, like something as basic as walking. After all, “You are what you eat”, right?
I believe in moderation over elimination. I’m still going to have my bread and rice, but it’s going to be in reasonable servings. Simple changes like reducing the butter or ghee in cooking and substituting it with a little amount of oil will greatly help. Also, I’ll try and include more greens in my diet, as well as make an effort to cut back on refined sugar by using a natural sweetener such as Truvia Natural Sweetener instead.
Truvia Natural Sweetener is a naturally sweet, gluten-free, plant-based sweetener, born from the leaves of the stevia plant. Truvia Natural Sweetener makes it so easy to create ‘better for you’ recipes. I can easily say goodbye to refined sugar by incorporating Truvia Natural Sweetener in my day to day meals. It is amazing for your daily beverages, appetizers and you can also bake with it. It is so versatile! I can enjoy that cup of coffee, tall glass of my favorite smoothie or a delicious bowl of warm porridge with a natural sweetness.
For recipes and substitutions that require more than 8 packets (about ⅓ cup) of Truvia Natural Sweetener, Truvia Natural Sweetener Spoonable is a great alternative. It provides the ease of whipping up a recipe without the fuss of packets. It is easy to convert and measure by just scooping out the desired amount! The sweetness from ¾ teaspoon of Truvia Natural Sweetener Spoonable (or one packet) is equivalent to that from 2 teaspoons of sugar! You can find more conversions here .
We usually start our day with this delicious finger millet porridge/ragi porridge. It’s warm, comforting and nourishes your body with all things good.
As a kid, I would happily gobble down a big bowl of this ragi porridge known as Tizann in Goa, India. You need few ingredients to make this fortifying porridge; 1/2 cup finger millet flour, 1 cup water, 1 cup coconut milk, ¼ teaspoon salt, and some jaggery (similar to brown sugar). Of late I’ve begun skipping jaggery and use Truvia Natural Sweetener instead to lend the required sweetness to this porridge. Hence the switch to Truvia Natural Sweetener , to start our mornings on a delicious note.
A little garnish of slivered almonds and pistachios add a little oomph to the porridge. Or you can totally skip that and use fruits instead, for some texture and garnish.
Ingredients
1/2 cup finger millet flour
1 cup water
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
3 packets Truvia Natural Sweetener
2 tbsp slivered almonds
2 tbsp sliced pistachios
- STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE FINGER MILLET PORRIDGE | RAGI PORRIDGE
- HOW TO MAKE FINGER MILLET PORRIDGE | RAGI PORRIDGE?
- Finger Millet Porridge | Ragi Porridge
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE FINGER MILLET PORRIDGE | RAGI PORRIDGE
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add ½ cup finger millet flour and 1 cup water. Whisk well to mix it thoroughly. Add 1 cup coconut milk and salt. Whisk well.
- Switch on the heat to medium, cook until it thickens, stirring continuously, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the post from heat, add 3 packets of Truvia Natural Sweetener and stir. Or transfer to individual serving bowls, and sweeten with Truvia Natural Sweetener as per your desired sweetness. Top with fruits or nuts, or a mix of both.
NOTES
1.Do not stop stirring once you place the pan on heat. The porridge will turn lumpy. If that happens, simply use a whisk and beat the porridge till smooth.
HOW TO MAKE FINGER MILLET PORRIDGE | RAGI PORRIDGE?
Finger Millet Porridge | Ragi Porridge
Ingredients1x2x3x
Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 1/2 cup finger millet flour
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
- 3 packets Truvia Natural Sweetener
- 2 tbsp slivered almonds
- 2 tbsp sliced pistachios
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add ½ cup finger millet flour and 1 cup water. Whisk well to mix it thoroughly. Add 1 cup coconut milk and salt. Whisk well.
- Switch on the heat to medium, cook until it thickens, stirring continuously, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the post from heat, add 3 packets of Truvia Natural Sweetener and stir. Or transfer to individual serving bowls, and sweeten with Truvia Natural Sweetener as per your desired sweetness. Top with fruits or nuts, or a mix of both.
Notes
I would love to hear from you, please feel free to share your feedback with photos and suggestions to me at aromaticessence77@gmail.com
You can also follow me on :
Facebook @ Aromaticessence
Pinterest @ Aromatic Essence
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Twitter @ freda_dias
Have a great week ahead!
Regards,
Freda
