Today’s recipe is a light yet substantial quinoa salad with lemony dressing that we’ve been having a lot lately. This salad is an amalgamation of several of my earlier recipes, it’s perfect when the sun is shining but equally good when it’s raining non stop like it has been doing lately. I like it a lot as it’s fuss-free and very suitable for being prepared a day in advance, which is great when I have a busy day ahead.
This quinoa salad with lemony dressing features an array of textures and flavours that really compliment each other and plenty of plant protein. While the amount of protein we need to eat is often overblown in an effort to sell us stuff, some people (elderly, pregnant people, athletes, people who lift weights etc.) do have higher protein needs that take considerable effort to replenish on a vegan diet. Lifting weights, which is something I started doing a couple of years ago, is my go to exercise these days (plus 10K walking) and so I need to hit about 100 g of protein every day to be able to build muscle. This salad boasts a whopping 40.6 g of protein per portion (half of the recipe) and I sometimes top it up with my favourite tofu or tempeh to get that number even higher.
MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
QUINOA: Quinoa is a unique pseudograin that is a fantastic source of complete plant protein. A 100 g of uncooked quinoa delivers a whopping 13 g of protein. If you are worried about its carbon footprint as well as the fact that importing it from South America deprives its indigenous peoples of their dietary staple, be sure to look out for British grown (if you are in the UK) quinoa instead.
CHICKPEAS: Chickpeas are another fantastic source of plant protein – 100 g of cooked chickpeas contains approximately 9 grams of protein – they are also very accessible and neutral in flavour so go with lots of things. I always have jars or cans of chickpeas in my pantry for that reason. If you would rather use something else, white beans or lentils would work well too.
GREEN PEAS: Green peas or their more delicate cousins – petite pois, which I personally prefer – are a no brainer, they are nutritious, extremely quick to cook and a great source of protein. 100 g of petite pois gives you approximately 5 g of protein.
BROCCOLI: Broccoli is another protein rich vegetable (100 g of raw broccoli contains almost 3 g of protein) that I like to use. I like tenderstem broccoli but regular broccoli works just as well. The key thing to remember is to cut the stem into uniform size pieces and to cook it for only as long as it takes for the pieces to be tender but retain a little bit of crunch.
ASPARAGUS: We are coming to the end of a very short British asparagus season here so I have had to include a bunch of asparagus in this recipe as I am a big fan. If you asparagus is not in season for you, you could maybe charred zucchini slices instead.
HERBS: My intention was to make this salad herby and lemony so I used a generous amount of both coriander and mint and I love the combination. You can swap the coriander for parsley, dill or even basil if you aren’t a fan as I know that it tastes soapy to some people.
LEMON: I love lemon flavoured dressing and this one is my recent go to. It’s super easy to make and delivers a punch of flavour. I used both the zest and juice of a lemon and the result is tangy perfection in my opinion.
NUTRITIONAL YEAST: Nutritional yeast – a staple vegan seasoning that is made from inactive baker’s yeast – add a delicious depth and has a somewhat cheesy flavour. I really like it in this dressing, but you can skip it if you’d rather have a cleaner flavour profile.
ALMONDS: While this salad has so many different textures already, it still needs a bit of crunchy for a truly satisfying salad experience. I reached for lightly roasted almonds here but hazelnuts or pistachios will work just as well. If you have a nut allergy, pan-toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds (or both) would make for an excellent crunchy salad topper.
VEGAN FETA: Finally, this salad really benefits from a smattering of soft cheese. I used vegan feta but anything similar will work too.
TANGY DRESSING
- 60 ml / 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- zest 1 lemon + 60 ml / 4 tbsp juice
- 10 ml / 2 tsp maple syrup
- 9 g / 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- salt & pepper, to taste
QUINOA SALAD
- 150 g / ¾ cup quinoa
- 400 g / 14 oz cooked chickpeas (2.5 cups)
- 200 g / 7 oz asparagus
- 100 g frozen petite pois or garden peas
- 200 g tenderstem broccoli
- 30 g / 1 oz a handful of mint & coriander
- 60 g / 2 oz of toasted almonds, hazelnuts or pistachios
- vegan feta or similar, to serve
- Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together in a medium bowl. Season to taste and set aside.
- Rinse quinoa in several changes of water until the water runs clear. Put rinsed quinoa in a small pot, add 225 ml of water (just under a cup) and half a teaspoon of salt. Cover with a well fitting lid and bring to a simmer. Reduce the flame to a whisper and simmer until all of the water has been absorbed (about 12 minutes). Once all the water is gone, keep the lid on for another 10 minutes to allow the quinoa to finish off cooking in its own steam.
- Chop coriander and mint leaves very finely, set aside. Cut asparagus into small bite-size (1 cm or so) segments. Cut florets off tenderstem broccoli and, if thick, cut the stems in half lengthwise first then cut them into bite-size segments.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and set up a large bowl with iced water. Add frozen petite pois and simmer for 3 minutes, use a spider strainer to fish cooked petite pois out – place them in the bowl of iced water.
- Bring the pot of water to a boil again, cook asparagus for between 90 seconds to 3 minutes, depending on thickness. Use a spider strainer to fish the asparagus out and add it to the bowl of iced water.
- Bring the pot of water to a boil again, cook broccoli for 2-3 minutes, depending on thickness. Transfer cooked broccoli the bowl of iced water.
- Drain petite pois, asparagus and broccoli really well.
- Once you are ready to assemble the salad, combine cooked quinoa, drained chickpeas, cooked petite pois, asparagus and broccoli in a large mixing bowl. Add both herbs and stir the dressing through. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Serve topped with vegan feta and chopped almonds.