Quinoa & Chickpea Salad: A Recipe

It's only been in the last year or so that I have tried my hand at quinoa and it turns out...it's delicious in almost anything! With so much versatility and so many health benefits it really is a power food! I've tried it in a stuffed pepper recipe, I've tried it as a warm cereal with milk and cinnamon, I've tried it as an alternative to rice and pasta, and I've tried it in chili. My most recent achievement, however, is a quinoa and chickpea salad. I lifted flavours from the Southwest and combined it with a bit of Greek inspiration and VOILA...I ended up with a super fresh, SUPER healthy salad.

With a recipe like this, I tend to not use measurements because I do it to taste. You could alter these ingredients to your liking but the most important part is to have fun with it! You might even come up with a completely different take on my recipe and if you do, please share it! The quantities I've given are approximated...

Ingredients:
Quinoa (I used 1 cup uncooked - once cooked I added about 2/3 of the pot)
Chickpeas (I used 1 whole can, rinsed)
Cherry Tomatoes (quartered or halved depending on the size)
Cucumbers (diced)
Pickled Jalapenos (I use a lot because I love spice, diced)
Juice from the jar of jalapenos (about 1 tablespoon)
Garlic (about 3 cloves, finely chopped)
Lime Juice (about 3 tablespoons)
Cilantro (I buy mine in a paste form, which sounds weird, but I never use enough fresh cilantro to warrant purchasing an entire bunch. You could definitely use fresh cilantro though)
Cumin (1/2-1 teaspoon)
Chili Powder (1 teaspoon)
Garlic Powder (1/2 teaspoon)
Paprika (1/2 teaspoon)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (about 2 tablespoons)

Once the quinoa is cooked, it's virtually the easiest dish to put together. Here are the detailed instructions about how to prepare it. Ready? Throw all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss together.

You can eat this just as a light lunch or a side dish at dinner. When I made this, we served it with pork souvlaki but you could just as easily serve it with a chicken breast or shrimp skewers!

Please enjoy!