Moroccan Quinoa and Chickpea Salad

People think that food bloggers eat very well, and on some level this is true but on certain days there’s a descent chance I’d get kicked out of the club. Breakfast I’m usually pretty good about and dinner is whatever is in season or on sale at the market but lunch, well lunch and I have some issues.

Because I spend most of my day in the kitchen cooking and taste-testing, I often find myself skipping lunch in lieu of lots of nibbling. A brownie here, some steak there, a handful of chickpeas here and before I know it I’m full and somehow forgot to eat any veggies (besides the ones hidden in the brownies…).

Even though I’m not a huge meal prepper, I could use a little help in the lunch department. I think if I had some healthy food on hand, I might save that brownie for dessert instead of eating 4 and calling it lunch. In fact, easy lunches (and hidden veggie recipes) is the most requested recipe suggestion I get. So it was due time I take a page from my own book.

I took myself back to my college days where 19 hour days in the library were completely normal. I went to McGill where we work hard and play hard! I used to bring breakfast, lunch and dinner to the libs. And yes, I looked nomadic. I tried to minimize as much stuff to carry as possible by making meals that were veggie, carb and protein loaded without 15 different tupperwares. For lunch this often meant grain-salads on a bed of lettuce or soup and bread.

Even though I no longer have to trudge through the snow with my 50lbs of books and food, I still think I could benefit from the forethought I used to put into my meals. So from now on I am going to attempt to create more veggie and protein packed meals that can serve as easy lunches.

Not surprisingly, this was the inspiration behind this Moroccan Quinoa and Chickpea Salad. Filled with protein, carbs and topped on some greens for a bigger veggie-punch, I was pleasantly surprised by how much better I felt when I sat down to a real lunch. And managed to only eat one brownie for dessert 😉

Moroccan Quinoa and Chickpea Salad

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

• Author: Davida Lederle
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Salad
• Method: Cook
• Cuisine: Moroccan
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, cooked according to package instructions
• 2 cups chickpeas, cooked
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1/2 cup dates, chopped
• 1/2 cup pistachios, shelled
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp sea salt
• pepper, to taste

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. In a large bowl combine cooked quinoa, chickpeas, grated carrots, dates and pistachios.
2. Top with olive oil and vinegar and give it a good stir to coat.
3. Add in spices and stir until well combined.
4. Serve warm or cold.*
5. Will keep up to one week in refrigerator.

*Can eat immediately, but gets better as it sits and the flavours meld together.

Are you a meal-prepper? What are your go-to lunches?