Quinoa Chickpea Salad

Finally, it feels like spring is here to stay (in Edmonton)! Spring to me means the beginning of more colours showing up and pushing away the drabness of winter.  Here's an easy and healthy recipe to try that will hopefully lift your spirits as we move into Spring. 

Quinoa and Chickpeas! Who knew they could be such good friends and make your lunch or dinner so incredibly healthy! For this recipe you will need the following:

Ingredients (6-8 servings):

• 1-2 roasted red or yellow pepper (can use the canned ones) - sliced
• 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 onion (diced)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 can of chickpeas (rinsed & drained)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dried cherries

Directions:

1. Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve under cold running water (this helps prevent the quinoa from slipping away as you wash & makes it easier to drain the water out). 
2. After rinsing, drain water from pot.
3. Add 2 cups of water to the quinoa.
4. Bring the water to a boil (stir occasionally), then decrease to low heat and cover.
5. Allow the quinoa to simmer while covered for 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed.
6. Fluff quinoa with a fork, turn off heat and cool quinoa to room temperature.
7. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onions once hot and cook onions until they are soft & appear translucent.
8. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute or two.
9. Remove garlic & onion pan from stove and allow to cool to room temperature.
10. Lastly, assemble the salad. Combine the quinoa, roasted red pepers, chickpeas, dried cherries, salt, pepper,  and lemon juice together. You can also add some more olive oil to mix everything together. 
11. This Quinoa & Chickpea Salad can be eaten straight out of the fridge, room temperature or even warm.   Enjoy!

I found a lot of inspiration for quinoa recipes from this book: Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood