Quinoa & Arugula Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

One of my favorite lunches to meal prep during this time of year are different salads for each week. This Quinoa & Arugula Salad with Crispy Chickpeas is the perfect light lunch or would also be a great side dish to bring to a potluck or BBQ!

Crispy chickpeas are the best addition for salads, kind luck a breadcrumb, but obviously less carbs, they add a nice crunch and texture to this salad. I used my favorite leafy green – arugula! Toss with quinoa, some diced red onion, cucumbers, and tomatoes, and crumbled feta and you’ve got this bright and fresh salad.

For the dressing, I mixed up a simple lemon vinaigrette with a touch of honey. I love this salad as it is, but you could add diced chicken, salmon, or shrimp to the salad or serve on the side to make it a heartier meal.

Note that the chickpeas may lose their crunchiness once mixed with the salad ingredients and dressing. If you want to keep them crunchy, store them in a separate container and just add to the salad when you are ready to eat it! Also see the note below on how to get crispier chickpeas!

Recipe Tips and Suggestions:

• You can add whatever toppings you love to this salad. I went with a lot of Mediterranean toppings because I love them. You could also add olives or other veggies of your choice.
• Serve on the side of grilled chicken or fish or add your protein directly to the salad.
• To achieve the best crispiness with your chickpeas, I do two things. First, I peel the outer casing. To easily do this, drain and rinse the chickpeas and then pour them onto a dishtowel. Fold the towel over and gently rub over the chickpeas for about a minute. Lift the towel and you will see that outer casing has peeled off many of the chickpeas. You can repeat this process as needed until most of them. You don’t have to do this step or get every single chickpea, but it does help them to crisp up to peel them. The second thing is I think it helps to air fry them in your oven or air fryer. You can still get that crispiness by baking though.
• If you are planning to enjoy this salad over multiple days and want to keep the chickpeas crispy, store them separately from the rest of the salad in an airtight container and sprinkle in when you are ready to eat it!
• Feel free to swap arugula for spinach or kale if arugula isn’t your thing.

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Yield: 4-6 servings

Quinoa & Arugula Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Quinoa & Arugula Salad with Crispy Chickpeas - A simple and delicious salad made with quinoa, arugula, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, and crispy chickpeas with lemon dressing!

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• sea salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 cups grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 cups arugula

dressing:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced
• sea salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons honey

Instructions

1. Cook rinsed quinoa according to package directions.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (or air fryer at 400 degrees). Dump the drained chickpeas into the middle of a clean dishtowel in a single layer. Fold the sides of the towel over the chickpeas and gently roll/rub the chickpeas for a minute. Unfold the towel and discard the outer casings of the chickpeas. Repeat as needed until most of the chickpeas have been peeled.
3. Add the peeled chickpeas to a bowl, add the olive oil, salt, and paprika. Toss until coated. Transfer the chickpeas to a non-stick baking sheet. Bake or air fry for about 15-20 minutes or until crispy, stirring halfway through. Let cool. If planning to eat over several days, store in a separate container and add desired amount to each serving.
4. Arrange the salad. Add the cooked quinoa to a serving or salad bowl Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, onion, cucumber, feta, and arugula on top.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, and honey. Feel free to adjust to your tastes by adding more lemon, honey, or salt to taste. Drizzle over salad and toss to combine. Serve chilled.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 329Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 431mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 9g

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