How convenient to find inspiration in August’s Food & Wine, an idea for using garbanzo beans and quinoa! These two staples seem to have reproduced in my fridge this week. (That, and zucchini…want any?)
A mixture of smoked paprika, turmeric, and cumin are behind the “spicy” in this salad…not so much a “hot” spicy, but a wonderful, flavorful spicy that stands on its own, or livens up a more mellow entree. We enjoyed it with a few slices of grilled steak over salad greens.
Spicy Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked quinoa see notes
- 1 cup garbanzo beans
- 2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise, grilled then chopped
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- a few cilantro leaves, if you like them and if you have them
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lemon, juice from
- 1 tsp each: sea salt, turmeric, smokey paprika, cumin
Instructions
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Lightly coat the zucchini stalks with olive oil and grill or broil until softened a bit. Let cool until you can handle them, then chop into pieces.
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Stir together cooked quinoa, garbanzo beans, zucchini, scallions, and cilantro. Sprinkle with spices, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice then stir to combine.
Recipe Notes / Tips
- Cook quinoa just like rice—in a rice cooker! Be sure to rinse quinoa with water a few times before you start cooking. The seeds have a soapy coating to deter pests—harmless to us, but not very tasty. Just put the quinoa in a bowl of water, swish, and pour off the water, two or three times.
