This salad has more prep than salads I usually post about, but everything can be done in advance (way way in advance if you’re on top of it with your Sunday prep game) which means that when it’s time to eat, dinner is little more than assembling. Who doesn’t love that??
Summer Quinoa Crunch Bowl [serves 8]
Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw quinoa (~5 cups cooked)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 ears of corn, grilled and then cut off the cobs
- 2 lbs green beans (haricot verts if you prefer), steamed
- 2-3 cups roasted chickpeas
Creamy Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
First, make the dressing by blitzing all the ingredients in a blender until creamy and emulsified. This will keep in the fridge for over a week, so make it whenever you have time.
Next, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F (for the chickpeas) and then get the quinoa going.
To cook the quinoa, combine 2 cups quinoa, 4 cups water, and a pinch of salt, and turn the stove on to medium. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer until it’s tender and the liquid has absorbed (~15 minutes). I usually use a rice cooker, so this is a hands off step for me. If you don’t have a rice cooker, what are you waiting for? It’s a game changer. You can cook rice, beans, quinoa, lentils, (whatever!), and it comes out perfect every time without your presence in the kitchen. I have this one. We got it for our wedding and it’s still cranking out grain perfection on a daily basis after ten years of excessive use. It’s without a doubt the kitchen appliance I use the most. Although, nowadays you could get an instant pot and have all your bases covered because I think those bad boys can do everything but grow your food… I have the 6 qt DUO, but probably should have sprung for the 8 qt. I had no idea when I bought it that it would become something that defined my cooking. BIP (before instant pot) I planned meals out a week in advance because I had to. You can’t roast meat if it hasn’t been thawed and you definitely better have canned beans on hand for anything last minute. But AIP (after instant pot – not to be confused with the autoimmune protocol) I can switch things up more easily because I can cook anything in the freezer or pantry in half the time!
Sorry about that detour my brain took us on!
Now that the quinoa is doing it’s thing, it’s time to make the chickpeas.
Blot them with a paper towel to dry them off and then toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Alternatively, you can season them with garlic salt, paprika, and/or cayenne pepper.
Spread them out onto a greased baking sheet and bake for ~35 minutes (until brown and crunchy).
To make the corn, shuck the ears and grill them on direct heat for 15 minutes (or until the kernels pierce easily with a fork). You can rotate them every 5 minutes if you want, but it’s not necessary.
Finally, for the green beans, cut off the ends and steam them until they are tender. Chill them until serving and then cut them into smaller pieces at the same time that you halve the cherry tomatoes.
To serve, spread the quinoa out on a large serving bowl. Then top with each ingredient in a row and pour the dressing over it all.
This recipe is SO GOOD! Feel free to add crumbled feta if you tolerate dairy, but it’s awesome on it’s own 🙂
The kids loved this big time. Especially when I gave them leftovers for lunch the next day with avocado.
If you look closely, you’ll realize the dressing for this recipe is actually the same as the dressing I posted previously. Only it’s doubled because this salad is a one dish wonder and you need enough dressing to coat every component. You will probably have leftovers, which is perfect since it’s meant to be eaten cold and who doesn’t love a chilled salad that is 100% ready to go come lunchtime…
