Healthy eating doesn’t have to be so painful. My husband and I have tried so hard to stay fit while eating what we like. It is a real uphill battle. We had to make this quinoa chickpea salad recipe to alleviate the boredom of “health food.”
My problem with clean and healthy eating is that it can be extreme and bland. I don’t enjoy foods that contain zero salt and zero fat. They are incredibly unsatisfying and leave me with almost irresistible cravings for fat, salt, AND sugar (salted caramel ice cream anyone?).
So to trick my mind into eating healthier, I often have to disguise my healthful foods and dress them up so that they feel more gourmet and not like I’m eating “grass,” in the words of Paula Dean.
As we were getting tired of salads without dressing, I thought I would venture out and try different ways to eat light and healthy, while incorporating lots of yummy and fiberful veggies and enough protein to keep us energized and strong throughout the day.
Healthy Eating Tips
Use lots of fresh herbs, spices, moderate amounts of salt, and even, dare I say, some sugar and fat!
For more healthy dishes, check out my healthy caesar salad recipe.
Asian cuisine uses a balance of these flavors and it seems to satisfy palates enough so that dessert is not needed on day-to-day basis. Fruit after a meal usually satisfies any lingering sweet tooth.
Chickpeas and quinoa are the perfect power couple for the job. They are both healthy and delicious in this quinoa chickpea salad.
This recipe for chickpea salad is perfect for cooling you off during summer. It will hydrate and fill you up. I hope that you enjoy this this chickpea salad with avocado as part of your backyard BBQ spread or as part of a healthy eating routine!
This chickpea salad recipes uses Persian cucumbers, which are extra crunchy compared with other types of cucumbers.
How to prepare cucumbers
One quick tip when making a cucumber dish is to remove the fleshy seeded part in the middle to prevent excess fluid from entering your dish.
The crunchy outer flesh is the more enjoyable part of the cucumber in my opinion.
Just remove the seeds and snack on the middle parts or use them as skin food for your face. =)
Price Comparison
What did I spend to make this salad? 1 cup quinoa ($1), bell pepper ($4), onion ($.25), shallot ($.33), parsley ($.80), cucumbers ($1.50), lime ($.50), avocados ($3).
Restaurant ($10) vs. Home-made ($1.90) per serving. That price difference is astounding! Since chickpea quinoa salad is so easy to put together, I’d recommend making it at home instead of ordering it out.
Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Avocado
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 2 red bell peppers diced
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley chopped
- 5 Persian cucumbers diced
- 1 can chickpeas drained
- 1 tsp Goya Adobo all-purpose seasoning
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 tbsp Modena white vinegar
- 6 small avocados chopped, add when serving
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add quinoa and water into a pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium low heat. Allow to cook for ~20 minutes until quinoa is translucent and its spirals begin to separate from the grain. Set aside to cool after it is done.
- In the meantime, finely dice bell pepper, onion, shallot, and parsley and mix together.
- When cutting cucumbers, slice in half length-wise and remove seedy flesh in the middle. Save seedy flesh for skincare or for separate snacking.
- Mix chopped up vegetables with lime juice, vinegar, oil, and Goya seasoning. When juicing the lime, try to get some of the oils from the skin out-it intensifies the lemon flavor.
- Add garbanzo beans and cooled quinoa and mix well with diced vegetables. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Let it sit for at least 2 hours. For best results, let sit overnight.
- Serve with fresh avocado. Do not pre-mix avocado into the salad as it will brown.
Tag me on Instagram @jennskitchendiary to share your version of this recipe!
