We've got another easy, make-ahead lunch recipe for you today! A chickpea + quinoa based veggie salad with an orange soy & sesame dressing. This is a great recipe to prep ahead of time and eat throughout the week, at home or in packed lunches. Enjoy a big bowl or treat it as a side dish, it's up to you! These are the kinds of recipes that makes healthy eating convenient and totally do-able.
This hearty salad is absolutely loaded with good-for-you ingredients like chickpeas, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, kale, nutritional yeast, garlic, ginger, red and green bell peppers (just to name a few!) You can make this salad with quinoa or couscous. Quinoa has slightly more protein and quite a bit more fibre than couscous, but couscous is easier to prepare and cooks more quickly.
This recipe, along with the easy chickpea curry soup I posted the other day, will be appearing in a back-to-school healthy packed lunch post featuring 4 easy, make-ahead lunch recipes and 10 simple snack ideas (5 savoury/5 sweet) that's going up tomorrow! I hope you're excited for that post because it's a BIG one. Happy Cooking!
Print
Chickpea Quinoa Salad with Orange Soy & Sesame Dressing
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
- Category: Salad, Side dish
- Cuisine: Vegan
Description
A nutritious, make-ahead chickpea + quinoa salad with crunchy veggies and an orange soy & sesame dressing.
Ingredients
Orange Soy & Sesame Dressing
- 1 navel orange, juiced
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tbsp agave syrup
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½" chunk ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Chickpea Quinoa Salad
- 3 cups quinoa, cooked (cook in broth for best flavour)
- 1 (540ml/19 fl. oz.) can chickpeas, drained (approx. 2 cups cooked)
- ⅔ cup chopped kale (stems removed, packed)
- ½ cup chopped red and green bell pepper
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- ¼ raw pumpkin seeds
- 2-4 tablespoon hemp hearts
Instructions
Orange Soy & Sesame Dressing
- Combine all ingredients. Mix well and set aside.
Chickpea & Quinoa Salad
- If not already chilled, refrigerate cooked quinoa.
- While the quinoa chills, combine kale with orange soy & sesame dressing. Set aside.
- Combine room temperature (or cooler) quinoa, kale, dressing, and all remaining ingredients.
- Refrigerate until chilled before serving.
Beth Wiffen
Hi there, is the kale raw or lightly steamed ? Going to try this soon but not sure about raw kale
Thanks
showjav.com
This Chickpea Quinoa Salad With Orange Soy Sesame Dressing recipe is featured in the Delicious Desk Lunches along with many more.
Brittany
Thanks!
Megan
Hi! Delicious looking recipe. I'm wondering if this will still taste good without the oil? I'm trying to cut oils out of my diet 🙂 Thanks !!
Brittany
I think so Megan! Personally, I'd still include a touch of sesame oil for it's flavour, but the canola oil and much of the sesame oil could definitely be swapped out for water or vegetables broth!
Nancy McMurrer
I've read that 1 c quinoa yields 3 c cooked. So, in your ingredients, is that 3 c cooked quinoa or 3 c (dry) quinoa, then cooked, which would yield 9 c cooked quinoa? I've cooked quinoa before, but not in awhile! I'm eager to try this one!
Brittany
That's 3 cups of cooked quinoa! I like cooking 1 cup (dry) in vegetable broth for best flavour. Thanks for commenting Nancy!
Erin
I made this for the fam tonight, Brittany. I wasn't paying attention and left out the chickpeas (for heaven's sake) and the sesame seeds by accident, but it was still super delicious! I'm quite sure it's going to be on regular rotation for dinner at ours. Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Brittany
Oh no! It's so much better with chickpeas!! I'm so glad you still enjoyed it and thank you for trying my recipe!! 😀
Cheryl
Mmm.. this sounds so good.
Brittany
Thanks Cheryl!
Julia
Just wondering where the orange comes into play? It's not listed in the ingredients. Thanks.
Brittany
Oh my goodness! So sorry Julia, thanks for pointing that out! I've added it now.