Vibrant protein-packed salad with quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, feta, fresh herbs, and toasted nuts.
# What You'll Need:
→ Grains
01 - 1 cup uncooked quinoa or bulgur
02 - 2 cups water for cooking grains
→ Legumes
03 - 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
→ Vegetables
04 - 1 large cucumber, diced
05 - 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
→ Dairy
06 - 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 100 g)
→ Herbs
07 - 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
08 - 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
→ Nuts & Seeds
09 - 1/3 cup toasted pistachios or slivered almonds, roughly chopped
→ Dressing
10 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
11 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
12 - 1 clove garlic, minced
13 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
14 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
# Directions:
01 - Rinse quinoa or bulgur thoroughly. In a medium saucepan, combine with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 12 minutes for quinoa or 15 minutes for bulgur. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool.
02 - In a large bowl, mix the cooled quinoa or bulgur with chickpeas, diced cucumber, chopped red onion, crumbled feta, parsley, mint, and toasted nuts.
03 - Whisk together extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, sea salt, and black pepper in a small bowl.
04 - Pour the dressing over the salad mixture and toss gently to combine all ingredients evenly.
05 - Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve the salad chilled or at room temperature.
