High-Protein Chickpea Quinoa Salad
A nutritious and protein-packed salad combining chickpeas, quinoa, fresh vegetables, and a zesty lemon dressing, perfect for a healthy meal or meal prep.
Ingredients
Chickpeas
- 30 ounces chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2 15-ounce cans cans of chickpeas alternative to 3 cups cooked
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas
Quinoa
- 1 cup dry quinoa or 4 cups cooked
- 4 cups cooked quinoa
- 8 ounces Roma tomatoes about 5 medium, diced
- 1/4 cup lemon juice about 3 medium lemons
- 3 medium lemons
- 3 cups diced cucumber about 3 cups
- 1.5 cups diced red onion about 1 medium
- 1/2 cup hemp seeds optional
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Olive Oil
- 0.5 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil additional for dressing
- 1 cup dry quinoa or 4 cups cooked
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice about 2 tablespoons
- 1 cup cucumber diced
- 3/4 cup tomatoes diced
- 1/2 cup red onion diced
- 1 cup chickpeas cooked or canned
- 1 1/3 cups quinoa cooked
- 3 tablespoons hemp seeds optional
- 1/3 cup cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF, dry chickpeas, toss with paprika, garlic powder, salt, and olive oil, then roast for 15 minutes, broil for 3 minutes until crispy.
- Cook quinoa according to package instructions, then let cool.
- Drain and dice tomatoes, toss with salt, and set aside to drain excess liquid.
- Combine cooked chickpeas, quinoa, vegetables, lemon juice, olive oil, hemp seeds, and cilantro in a large bowl. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Optional: Assemble in jars with dressing, shake to combine, or serve directly as a salad.
Notes
For extra flavor, add a dash of paprika and garlic powder to the chickpeas before roasting.