Super Refreshing Quinoa and Chickpea Salad

I needed to push myself last night to make this quinoa and chickpea salad. It was late, Bela was waiting for me to go to bed, but in my head, something is telling me to make the salad. 

It's good for you, it said. Bring it for lunch tomorrow, it said. 

So I made myself make it and I am glad I did. I was actually excited to eat lunch today. hahaha

Just check out how vibrant this salad looks! It's delicious and refreshing. Taste better than what I usually buy for lunch here in the office.

The main ingredient here is 1 cup of cooked quinoa and 1 can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

You'll also need:

2 cucumber diced (small)

1 capsicum of any color (red, orange, green, or yellow) I used yellow because that's what I have (diced small)

A handful of parsley, chopped

1 small red onion chopped

feta cheese cubed (optional but recommended)

Salad Dressing:

Juice of 1 small lemon

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp honey

Salt and pepper

Procedure

I pre-boiled a cup of quinoa. The cooking ratio is 1:2. Two cups of water in one cup of quinoa. One cup of raw quinoa is equal to 3 cups of cooked quinoa

Cook it like rice. When all the water is absorbed, turn off the heat, and cover it. Allow it to cook for another five minutes. Open the cover and pluff with a fork. Set aside to cool.

In a salad bowl, mix together, 1 cup of cooked quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, capsicum, parsley, onion, and feta cheese. Mix all dressing ingredients in a jar and gradually pour it into your salad. Mix the salad until nicely combined and serve it with your protein of choice. 

I had it today for lunch with some grilled chicken. Guilt-free lunch.