Cooking with quinoa is so easy, don’t you think? If you have not yet tried any quinoa recipes, it is not too late to start! You can use it in almost any recipe that calls for rice – think of burritos, mexican bowls, salads, veggie wraps, Indian rice dishes, and even puddings 🙂 No one will know when you sneak in all that nutrition into a traditional recipe by just swapping the rice for quinoa! Personally, my quinoa journey started the same way – I used quinoa instead of rice in all the Indian dishes I knew 😀 😀 Another thing is that if you just have some cooked quinoa on hand, you can put together an amazing weeknight meal in minutes!
I have tried broccoli as a side in so many dishes! Check out Broccoli Kadhi (Broccoli in a mildly spiced yogurt gravy), Broccoli Bharta (Mashed Broccoli with mild Indian spices), Broccoli Peanuts Stir Fry and Minced Broccoli Curry! But I had not tried to use broccoli in a salad before. Slighted roasted broccoli and peppers add a soft texture to this salad. I have added chickpeas here to give some crunch to the salad. And the added protein does not hurt either right? Basically, this is a really simple salad – quinoa, veggies and chickpeas tossed together in a lemony dressing 🙂 (I love my salads to be really tangy!) Lots of lemon juice, some freshly grated ginger, salt, ground cumin and freshly ground black pepper! You can’t ask for a simpler dressing than that! The fresh ginger adds a hint of warm spiciness to this dressing and the cumin just complements the lemon taste perfectly. I topped the salad with some feta cheese too! This salad is so easy, nutritious and tasty that there is no reason not to give it a shot 🙂
Ingredients
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1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
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500 grams broccoli
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200 grams peppers (green/red/yellow)
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1 can of chickpeas
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Juice from 2 lemons
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1 inch fresh ginger grated finely
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1/2 tsp cumin powder
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Ground black pepper to taste
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Salt to taste
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Red Chilli Flakes/Chopped Jalapeños for added heat
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2 tsp oil divided
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2 tbsp feta cheese (optional)
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 5 min
Servings: 2-3
Method
- Wash the quinoa thoroughly. Add the washed quinoa to a pan. Add 1 cup water and let it cook. This should take about 12- 15 min. Stir in between.
- Meanwhile, chop the broccoli and peppers really finely.
- Take another saucepan. Add 1 tsp oil. Let it heat up. Add the chopped peppers and broccoli, sprinkle some salt and stir fry till they get slightly soft.
- To prepare the dressing, in a large mixing bowl, mix in 1 tsp oil, lemon juice, ginger, cumin, salt and pepper. If you want to make it spicy, add in some finely chopped jalapeño or use dried red chili flakes according to your taste.
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Once the quinoa, broccoli and peppers are done, add them to the mixing bowl. Wash and drain the canned chickpeas and add it to the bowl too.
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Mix well. Adjust salt and spice to your taste. Top with some feta cheese or your favorite herbs and serve warm.
