This Quinoa Chickpea Salad is the perfect vegan lunch idea. It's easy to make, high protein, satisfying, and perfect for planning ahead! If you're looking for a healthy vegan high protein meal prepping idea, then give this one a try.
Quinoa Chickpea Salad
The ingredients may be unusual to find, but once you have sourced them the rest is easy! Simply combine all ingredients to a bowl or container.
Quinoa
Quinoa is a great pantry staple for vegans as it is one of the few plant foods that contain sufficient amounts of all nine essential amino acids. A little bit nutty in flavour and light and fluffy in texture, quinoa is the perfect companion for salads.
If quinoa is a little bit on the pricey side for you then I recommend you swap out for brown rice. I often replace quinoa with rice for some of my recipes.
Chickpeas
Chickpeas are another awesome pantry staple for vegans! This recipe uses canned chickpeas, which are easy to keep long term and are available to use immediately (no cooking required). Just make sure to rinse them well before adding to your salad.
Hemp Hearts
Hemp hearts or hemp seeds are extremely nutritious and are perfect for adding to vegan dishes to increase your protein intake. Just 1 tablespoon of hemp hearts provides 3 grams of protein and 16% of your RDI for magnesium. In comparison, 1 tablespoon of chia seeds provides 2 grams of protein. This is why I recommended you add 2 tablespoon of hemp hearts to this salad.
Pomegranate
Pomegranate is the best superfood to add to a salad! The simple addition of pomegranate turns a somewhat ordinary salad into an outstanding one. These tiny red pulps not only look amazing, but also add that perfect zesty sweetness! I love the way that they pop in your mouth as you chew. They are incredibly good for you too. High in antioxidants, pomegranates can help remove free radicals from your body, protect cells from damage, and reduce inflammation. What isn't there to love about pomegranate!?
Tahini
Instead of drizzling your salad in olive oil or some other salad dressing, I prefer to use tahini. Tahini not only adds a nutty flavour, but is full of healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Just 1 tablespoon of tahini can provide 3 grams of protein and 10% of your RDI for vitamin B1 & B6. You can see why I prefer to add tahini as my salad dressing!
Lettuce, Tomato & Parsley
To keep the salad fresh and crunchy, add half a tomato and some finely chopped iceberg or butterhead lettuce. For extra flavour, add ¼ cup of parsley
Vegan Meal Prepping
This is one my favourite weekday lunches! Its quick to make, healthy, high protein, and keeps in the fridge really well for a few days. I cook my quinoa using my rice cooker on the brown rice setting. I add 1.2 cups of water + 1 cup of uncooked quinoa to the rice cooker, and whilst this is cooking I prep the salad ingredients.
Nutrition
Each salad has the following macros and calories:
- Calories: 495
- Protein: 23g
- Carbs: 56g
- Fat: 22g
And there you have it. Four days of guilt free deliciousness!
Are you looking for more vegan meal prepping ideas? Why not check out my Mexican Bean Salad here!
Quinoa Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1½ cup canned chickpeas (one can) I like to cook them in the air fryer for 15 minutes to make them crunchy but this is optional
- 1 cup fresh parsley leave finely chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped cut into ⅛
- 1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds only
- 3 cucumbers diced
- ½ cup hemp hearts
- ¼ cup spring onion, finely chopped optional
- 1 pinch salt and pepper, for taste
Salad Dressing
- ½ cup tahini (runny)
- ½ juice of, lemon
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup soy milk
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa on the stovetop or by using a rice cooker.
- Add cooked quinoa, shredded lettuce, parsley leaves, chickpeas, tomato, spring onion, pomegranate, and hemp hearts to a bowl
- Add the chickpeas to the air fryer and cook on 180° / 350℉ for 15 minutes. This step is optional. It creates a crunchy texture for the salad.
- Whilst the quinoa and chickpeas are cooking, prepare the salad ingredients.
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and toss. Drizzle the salad dressing over top right before serving and toss again. Enjoy!
Salad Dressing
- Add all ingredients to a blender and blend smooth. Taste test and add more maple syrup if it's stil too bitter for your taste. Tahini alone can be quite bitter and tastes best when sweetened with maple syrup.
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