This quinoa chickpea salad is a perfect addition to your summer barbecues and picnics! Loads of colorful vegetables and a tangy dressing make this salad hard to resist. This easy recipe is naturally gluten free and dairy free.
When the warm weather hits, it’s so nice to be able to cook a simple, colorful, seasonal meal and enjoy it outside. When it’s really hot, it’s good to have some easy recipes ready to go that don’t require the oven.
It’s a great time of year for cold salads – green salads, pasta salads, and quinoa salads. There’s nothing like a big bowl of quinoa chickpea salad with tons of veggies and a honey mustard sauce.
This honey mustard quinoa chickpea salad has lots of summer vegetables – cucumber, peppers, and onions, plus it has an added boost of protein from the chickpeas. The honey mustard dressing is tangy and flavorful – the perfect accompaniment to the quinoa and veggies.
This honey mustard quinoa chickpea salad is a great way to enjoy quinoa and fresh summer produce. It’s perfect served alongside grilled chicken or fish, or just keep it simple and serve it with fresh fruit and crackers.
Ingredient Notes
- Quinoa – Quinoa is a great ingredient for cold salads – the texture is nice and fluffy, and it pairs well with cold, crisp veggies and delicious dressing.
- Chickpeas – If you can’t have legumes, it’s okay to leave them out. The salad will be great without the chickpeas. If you’d like to use a different bean, try pinto beans or navy beans.
- Cucumbers – I love the freshness of cucumbers in this salad. You could also use zucchini if you like.
- Mustard – Mustard is a key ingredient in this flavorful dressing, but I know some people have a mustard allergy. If you’d like, you can make the dressing with more lemon and garlic in place of the mustard.
Dressing
Even if you don’t make this quinoa salad, you will want to make this honey mustard dressing! It’s so good. And it’s easy to make!
Just put yellow mustard, honey, olive oil, and lemon juice or orange juice in a jar. Shake well. Pour over salad or use as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets.
Substitutions
- If you don’t have some of these veggies on hand, feel free to make substitutions! I have made this with zucchini, carrots, and even fresh herbs before. You can be creative with this recipe.
- If you’re vegan, or don’t have honey on hand, try some maple syrup instead! I have made it both ways, and it’s delicious with either sweetener.
- You could use millet if you like, or even rice. If you are not gluten free, you can use couscous, but please be aware that it does contain gluten.
- If you can’t have onions, try adding chives or other fresh herbs to boost the flavor. If you are allergic to mustard, you can leave it out and increase the amount of lemon juice. It will still be very flavorful even without mustard.
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Recipe
Quinoa Chickpea Side Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup quinoa
- ½ cup sweet onion chopped
- 1 cup bell pepper diced
- 1 ½ cups cucumber sliced
- 15 ounces chickpeas drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
- Put the dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake well.
- Place the quinoa and all the vegetables in a large bowl and add the dressing. Toss to coat.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Resep Masakan
Thank you for sharing, it seems very nice to try at home.
Shelby
So excited to try this! Is it mustard powder or just regular yellow mustard? Thank you! (: