Introducing this roasted red pepper salad with crispy chickpeas, quinoa, a spicy lemon vinaigrette, and over 25g of protein and 20g of fibre per serving!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dry quinoa
- 8 mini red peppers, quartered, stems and seeds removed
- 1 small red onion, cut into wedges
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup roughly minced dill
- 1/4 cup roughly minced parsley
- Feel free to add in crumbled feta cheese as well
Spicy Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1–2 tbsp honey
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic granules or 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 tsp cumin
Method
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Or, line two medium trays with parchment paper.
- Make the quinoa. My method for fluffy is a 1:2 ratio of quinoa to water. So for 3/4 cup of quinoa, use 1 1/2 cups water, along with a large pinch of salt. Place the pot on the stove, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and partially cover the pot. Let the quinoa cook undisturbed for 10-12 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. This next step is key, turn the heat off, fully cover the pot with the lid, and let the quinoa sit for 10 minutes. The “sitting” helps the quinoa steam and cook off any excess water.
- Roast the veggies and chickpeas. While the quinoa cooks, add the peppers, onion, and chickpeas to the prepared sheet pan(s). Drizzle generously with olive and salt and toss to combine. I like to keep the pepper, onion, and chickpeas separate on the same tray; just in case I need to remove the peppers before the chickpeas are done cooking (does that make sense?). Roast the veggies and chickpeas for 25-30 minutes or until the peppers and onion are slightly charred, and the chickpeas are golden brown and crispy.
- Prepare the dressing and herbs. While the quinoa and veggies roast, prep the dressing. Add all of the ingredients into a large jar and whisk well. Taste and adjust salt and honey as needed. I like the dressing with just 1 tbsp of honey but feel free to add 2 tbsp if you prefer the dressing on the sweeter side.
Assemble the salad. At this point, both the quinoa and veggies should be done, and all that’s left to do is combine everything. Add the quinoa into a large serving bowl, followed by the roasted veggies, chickpeas, dill, and parsley. Pour over half the dressing and toss to combine. Taste and add more dressing and salt as needed. Serve immediately while the salad is still warm!
Yasmeen Ali is the founder of Munching with Mariyah, a blog centered around plant-based recipes and actionable health and wellness tips – a source for those looking to lead a healthier lifestyle.
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