Wholesome & Healthy Loaded Quinoa Salad Recipe Is Mother-in-Law Approved Salads Grains Side Dishes Lunch Dinner Vegetarian Vegetables Gluten-free

I really trying to expand my vegetarian recipe rotation, and this loaded vegetable and herb quinoa salad is definitely going to stay on my list. This quinoa salad recipe is filling and delicious and has a wonderful combination of vegetables, a crunchy nut and the sweetness of dried fruit to really round out the tastes.

I made this healthy, wholesome grain salad recently for my sweet in-laws, and my mother-in-law said she realized she could eat dishes without animal protein and really like them. And that is high praise from her! (She even asked for the recipe!)

This loaded quinoa and herb salad doesn’t take long to make and tastes great up to four days after you assemble it. My guess is that it won’t last that long! To make this tasty gluten-free salad you will need quinoa, cucumber, sweet bell pepper, greens (think spinach, kale, arugula, bok choy), more vegetables of choice like carrots, broccoli or cauliflower, nuts and seeds, dried fruit, fresh herbs, chickpeas, goat cheese, crushed red pepper flakes, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey or maple syrup, a lemon, salt and black pepper. (Click on each ingredient highlighted to read about the health benefits!)

Serve this super-healthy salad for lunch, as a vegetarian dinner or as a side dish with dinner. Delicious!

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 (main dish) or 8 (side dish)

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
• 1 English cucumber, diced
• 1 sweet bell pepper, chopped
• 3 - 4 cups greens (spinach, kale, arugula, bok choy, etc.)
• 1 cup additional grated or chopped vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.)
• 1/2 cup nuts and seeds (walnuts, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.)
• 1/4 cup dried fruit (blueberries, cranberries, cherries, etc.)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil, dill, mint or a combination)
• 15 ounces (1 can) chickpeas or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (optional)
• 2 - 4 ounces goat cheese crumbles, for topping (optional)
• crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Dressing

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 - 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (or to taste)
• juice from 1/2 large lemon

Recipe Notes

• This recipe is so easy to adapt. It’s full of so many good things but if you don’t have one of the items, just sub something else or leave it out. We love greens so my salad had a 6-ounce bag of spinach in it! Have fun using what you love.

• I used broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber and sweet red pepper and pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

Here's how to make it: 

1. Make the quinoa by combining it with water and cooking according to package directions. When it’s finished cooking transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet to cool just a bit. While the quinoa cooks, gather your salad and dressing ingredients and chop your vegetables.
2. Make the dressing by mixing the ingredients in a small bowl or jar and blending completely.
3. Place the quinoa and salad ingredients, except goat cheese if you are using, in a large salad bowl.
4. Drizzle the salad with the dressing and taste to see if crushed red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper is needed. Top with some feta crumbles and enjoy!

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. This recipe has been analyzed by HappyForks. However, any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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