Curried Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas and Greens

I know, I know, another quinoa recipe?  We’re going quinoa crazy over here at The Vegan Project! But seriously, it is so friggen cheap, versatile and so easy to make that we just can’t help eating it at least 2-3 times a week. What makes this quinoa salad special is the aromatic coconut oil in the vinaigrette combined with fragrant madras curry powder.  The greens are once again tenderized by the massaging technique as well as the warm quinoa poured over top.  Fresh lemon flavour and cayenne pepper give it a tangy heat, making this salad very appealing to the senses. Makes about six cups.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 large chard leaves (or kale/spinach), torn into bite size pieces and stem removed

1 celery stalk, finely diced

For the dressing:

1 roma tomato, finely diced

2-3 tablespoons  sweet onion, finely diced

juice and zest of one lemon

2-3 teaspoons curry madras curry powder

1/4 coconut oil

1/4 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne pepper (optional)

1 inch piece of ginger, minced (I didn’t have any, but I think it would be really nice in this dish)

Method:

Place quinoa and two cups of water into a small saucepan, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until water has been absorbed. In the meantime, whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette.  Let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad.  In a large bowl add, diced celery, chard, chickpeas.  Add the vinaigrette and mix well. Get right in there with your hands and rub the chard and toss everything together.  It can be a very soothing and meditative experience to get more intimate with your food.  Add the cooked quinoa and season with salt and pepper to taste.

~The Vegan Project

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