
This simple quinoa salad with lemon dressing is the perfect salad to bring when traveling or for a summer BBQ and your outdoor events because it can be served cold. You can load up this salad with your favorite veggies. The dressing is mixed with an oil free lemon dressing.
I wanted to figure out what to bring to my sons baseball tournament. Something that's healthy but doesn't need to be refrigerated and travels well.
I created and used oil free Lemon dressing for this salad. I swapped out the oil with the aquafaba, the liquid from the chickpea can, as an oil substitute. I like to limit the amount of extra fat if I can and therefore use oil free dressing. Most of the time people throw out the liquid from the chickpeas can but it can be very useful as an oil substitute for dressing. Also for making hummus or for baking as an egg substitute.
If there is a veggie you don't like you can easily swap out for one that you do.
Lemon Dressing Ingredients:
- Aquafaba (Liquid from the chickpea can)
- Lemon Juice
- Maple Syrup
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Quinoa Salad Ingredients:
- Quinoa
- Chickpeas
- Bell Pepper
- Cucumber
- Tomatoes
- Red Onion
- Mushrooms
- Fresh herbs of choice: parsley, basil, cilantro
How to Make the Simple Quinoa Salad:
This salad comes together very quickly once the quinoa is cooked. You are washing and rinsing the veggies and draining the can of chickpeas. Once the quinoa is cooked and slightly cooled, you can mix the ingredients together and mix in the salad dressing.
Step 1: Cook the Quinoa
Add quinoa to a fine mesh strainer and then rinse under cool water for 30-60 seconds. Combine the rinsed quinoa and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer and cook. Cover until the liquid is absorbed by the quinoa, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
Move the saucepan off of the heat and cover for five minutes. This extra time allows the quinoa to steam and “fluff up.” Uncover and then fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set aside to cool slightly.
Step 2: Prep the veggies
While the quinoa is cooking, chop up the veggies into small bite size pieces. You can swap out any of the veggies or add in extra veggies that you have in your kitchen. Also, you could easily add in some chopped zucchini or spinach to the salad.
Step 3: Make the Lemon Salad Dressing
The dressing is very simple to make. Drain the chickpeas and save the liquid. The liquid is called aquafaba. This will be the oil substitute for the salad dressing, which makes this a low fat dressing.
To a small bowl add the aquafaba, lemon juice and maple syrup and whisk together. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside for the quinoa salad.
Step 4: Creating the Simple Quinoa Salad
Mix everything together. Add the slightly cooled quinoa to a large bowl and mix in the chopped veggies.
Next add in the lemon salad dressing and combine all together. Salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate. The salad should be good in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. You can serve at room temperature.
This simple quinoa salad with lemon dressing is great when meal prepping for the week ahead or to bring a party. It's lively, bright, full of color and is vegan. It's even loved by my non-vegan friends.
For More Recipe Ideas that are great to bring to a party!
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cup water
- 14 oz Chickpeas plus the liquid in the can (aquafaba)
- 1-2 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- ¼ red onion, diced
- ⅓ cup chopped nuts (walnuts, cashews) or seeds of choice optional
- 2 cup chopped raw broccoli
- 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup cucumbers, chopped 3 mini cucumbers or half a large cucumber
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced or substitute basil
- 1 avocado, diced optional
Dressing
- ¼ cup aquafaba (liquid from the chickpea can)
- ½ lemon, squeezed (about 2 tbsp)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup optional
- salt and pepper to taste optional
Instructions
Cook the quinoa
- Add quinoa to a fine mesh strainer, and then rinse under cool water for 30 seconds to a minute. Combine the rinsed quinoa and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer and cook, covered, until the liquid is absorbed by the quinoa, 10 to 15 minutes.Move the saucepan off of the heat and cover for five minutes. This extra time allows the quinoa to steam and “fluff up.” Uncover, and then fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set aside to cool slightly.
Lemon Salad Dressing
- Drain the chickpeas and set the liquid aside (aquafaba). To a small bowl add in ¼ cup of the aquafaba, fresh lemon juice and maple syrup and misk together. Salt to taste. Set aside.
Prepare the Simple Quinoa Salad
- To a large bowl add in the cooked quinoa and the chopped vegetables and mix together.
- Next add in the lemon salad dressing and combine all together. Salt and pepper to taste.Refrigerate. The salad should be good in the refrigerate for 3-5 days. You can serve at room temperature.
Jenny
Great easy healthy recipe! My husband went nuts for it! I doubled it, measuring everything, so I'd have leftovers, and the only changes I made was to use considerably more lemon juice than what was called for, and to use fresh mint instead of parsley/basil. I felt it really complemented the lemon. This is definitely something I'll make regularly.
Shelly Hughes
Hi Jenny, I'm glad you likes it. That is what I love about plant based eating, it can be easy to add in and take ingredients you like the best. Basil would be great in this salad too.