Recipe: Summer Quinoa Salad

A light, healthy, and downright tasty quinoa salad that is perfect for the hot temperatures of summer, featuring chick peas, grape tomatoes, and avocado.

Summertime cooking is all about easy recipes, grilling, and keeping the kitchen cool.

Which we pretty much do most of the time.

Except for when we feel the need to bake cookies.

#priorities

Recipes like this quinoa salad are perfect for the summer weather. When you don’t want to spend more than a few minutes in the kitchen. And the last thing you want to do is turn your oven on.

I actually only started eating quinoa over the last few years. I used to think it was one of those “weird grains” that others ate.

Now I’m them.

And, really, it’s pretty much a lot like couscous.

AND I LOVE COUSCOUS.

I kinda feel like couscous and quinoa, for the most part, are fairly interchangeable. So if you like couscous in a particular recipe, but haven’t tried quinoa yet, make a swap and start dipping your toe into that pool.

And that’s what I did here. I have a few couscous recipes that I love, so I made a batch of quinoa (15 minutes start to finish), and added in some of my favorite flavors to make this dish. It’s ideal for a light summer dinner, or for a few days’ worth of lunch, which is what I made it for.

Chick peas. Creamy bits of avocado. Sliced grape tomatoes. And a tangy, lemony dressing.

Light, refreshing, super healthy, and downright delicious.

Hungry for more light summertime dishes?
This Make It Your Own Couscous is an easy way to tweak a recipe to suit your own individual tastes.
One of our favorite go-to salads, so simple to make and so full of flavor.
Five minutes and just a handful of ingredients, and this Mixed Greens Salad with Smoked Salmon and a Lemony Vinaigrette can be yours.
Let your slow cooker do all the work, and reap the rewards with this Carnitas Salad recipe.
And this Lobster Salad with Avocado and Feta from Sarah’s Cucina Bella is a perfect summer celebration on a plate as well.
Or meander over to my Grilling, Salad, or Slow Cooker boards over on Pinterest for more recipes than you could ever possibly make.

Summer Quinoa Salad
Recipe courtesy of Cate O’Malley

In a bowl, combine:
2-1/2 cups precooked quinoa
1 can garbanzo beans
1 cup grape tomatoes (halved)
1 avocado, chopped

In a food processor, pulse:
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup lemon juice
squeeze of lime juice
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt.

Toss with quinoa blend and chill for 15 minutes. Serves four.