Ingredients:
Quinoa -1 cup ~ rinsed
Water -2 cups
Red peppers -1 medium
Chickpeas -20 ounces
Corn -1 cup
Pumpkin -⅓ cup
or sunflower seeds
Dressing:
Olive oil -¼ cup
Lemon -1 small
Garlic & onion powder -½ tsp ea.
Dried basil -½ tsp
Honey -1 tsp
White wine vinegar -2 tbsp
Some salt -½ tsp
Directions:
Pour your rinsed quinoa into a saucepan and allow to boil. Once you see it beginning to boil, let it simmer for 10-15 minutes on low heat until the quinoa has absorbed the water. Turn the heat off and let it sit for about 5 minutes or until it’s fluffy like rice. Place in a large bowl and keep on the side.
For the red bell pepper, wash and chop to fine cubes. Keeping the toppings small in this salad is best in my opinion as we’re dealing with a very fine main ingredient - quinoa. The chickpeas and corn obviously don’t need to be cut up in any way. You have the option of buying a can of chickpeas or cooking dry chickpeas yourself. Both will be great in this salad.
For the simple dressing, grab a small bowl and pour the olive oil, honey, and vinegar in. Squeeze the lemon. Add the seasonings and salt. Whisk. Dressing is done.
Grab a glass salad bowl and pour in your quinoa that has had a few minutes to cool. I love to use glass bowls when it comes to salads but of course use what you have around. Now add in the toppings being the pepper, corn, chickpeas, and seeds. Pour over your dressing and combine. This salad tastes best when on the chilled side. I recommended placing it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour. By all means though, eat it however you prefer. As always, you are able to substitute any of the toppins I have chosen for ones you favor more. Such as using nuts instead of seeds, I only like seeds in this particular salad because they’re tiny in size. You may add more veggies than I have or make them larger in size, all up to you. I hope you make this and enjoy!
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