A super healthy Mediterranean-inspired dish that is bursting with color and flavor.
Earlier in the summer, I partnered with the folks at Bush’s Beans for my kids’ cooking camp. The Bush’s Beans’ team was excited for an opportunity for me to introduce their Hummus Made Easy product line to all my campers, and I also developed several recipes using their canned bean products, which made for a very tasty summer.
And now that my teenager has become (mostly) vegetarian, we are eating all.the.beans all.the.time.
Which makes this Mediterranean Mix a perfect dish to throw together when you want something tasty and healthy …
What I love most about this recipe, beyond how colorful it is, is how flexible it is. You can easily swap out the quinoa for couscous, add more zucchini and less tomatoes, more onions or less, or maybe some bits of carrots for crunch or even sliced mushrooms. Once you get the basic guidelines of the recipe and the dressing down, get creative and add or subtract your favorite add-ins.
This Mediterranean Mix keeps beautifully in the refrigerator for several days, and is perfect as a side dish or a light lunch all by itself. The kids in cooking camp had never had quinoa, and a few of them had never had chickpeas, but they all enthusiastically approved of this recipe. And, aside from the cooking of the quinoa, they assembled this dish from start to finish all by themselves. I gave them the recipe, pointed to the ingredients, and away they went. The easiest way to give kids confidence in the kitchen is to let them have at it. They worked on following directions, double-checking ingredients, and figuring out measurements … and kids are always more inclined to eat something that they have had a hand in making. Bonus points when they make the whole recipe by themselves.
Dig in.
Mediterranean Mix
Recipe courtesy of Cate O’Malley
Ingredients
1 box of Near East quinoa, cooked according to package directions
2 cans of Bush’s chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 medium zucchini, peeled and chopped into small pieces
4 green onions, white and green parts sliced into small pieces
½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
dash of lemon juice
salt and pepper
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, mix the chickpeas, zucchini, green onions, tomatoes, and parsley together. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, turmeric, cumin, and paprika for the dressing. Add the quinoa mixture to the chickpeas and combine. Add in the dressing and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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