Chickpea + quinoa salad with miso lemon vinaigrette & quail eggs
This superfood salad of chickpeas, avocado, and quinoa is a one of my pregnancy go to’s because it’s rich in protein, healthy fats, folate, fiber, iron, and so much more! And it’s easy to make a big batch of chickpeas for the week to use in all kinds of healthy recipes. Don’t forget to soak them the night before!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried chickpeas garbanzo beans, soaked overnight (or 1 organic, low sodium can drained & rinsded in a pinch but dried is highly preferable)
- 2 cups cooked quinoa 3/4 cup well-rinsed uncooked + 1.5 cups water + 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 soft boiled quail egg halved 2.5 minutes in boiling water or 4 soft boiled chicken eggs quartered (6 minutes in boiling water)
- juice of one meyer lemon or regular lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/8 teaspoons cayenne
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- 1 ripe avocado diced
- 4-6 scallions sliced thinly
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh course ground coriander
- sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- You will want to soak your chickpeas the night before you intend to make them. My tip is to soak and cook more than you need for the recipe and refrigerate or freeze the rest.
- When ready to cook your chickpeas, drain them, place them in a large pot and cover with a good few inches of water. Do not salt the water as this can make them less tender.
- Bring the pot to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook 1 hour to 1.5 hours or until tender. (I cook longer for hummus, less long for soups, salads, etc.)
- Drain and cool the cooked beans. You can store them in a ziplock or other container for 3-4 days in the fridge or in the freezer (pat dry, freeze in single layer on parchment lined sheet tray for 30 min, then bag) for one year!
- While the chickpeas cook, cook the quinoa if you haven’t already (can be made the day before) by bringing it to a boil with the water and salt, reducing to a simmer, covering, and cooking for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and let sit covered for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- Make your dressing while the grains and beans cook. In a bowl combine the miso, lemon juice, honey, olive oil, cumin, and cayenne.
- In a mixing bowl combine the cooked chickpeas, quinoa, and avocado. Toss with the dressing to thoroughly combine, being careful to not be too rough with the avocado. Toss with the scallions and coriander seed. Top with eggs and salt & pepper to taste. Love this with a glass of kombucha or green juice alongside it for the perfect fresh lunch!
Notes
When boiling the eggs, don’t start them in cold water. Put them directly in boiling water and once their time is up, place them in an ice bath to prevent them from cooking further and to make for easy peeling!