This Vegan Moroccan Inspired Chickpea and Quinoa Salad is packed full of sweet and spicy flavours for a delicious, nutritious salad. Get the recipe below
Simple salads
It's my mission to make simple, yet flavourful salads that you can enjoy at any time whether that's at home, taken to work or perhaps even part of a picnic!
This recipe is one of my favourites thanks to its bold flavours. It's also versatile as it can be served warm or cold. If you want to serve it warm don't bother waiting to cool the quinoa and onions, just toss it all together and serve immediately.
If you do decide to eat this salad cold it's perfect for meal prepping as it will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.
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Moroccan inspired flavours
The flavour profile of this Vegan Moroccan Inspired Chickpea and Quinoa Salad is similar to that which you find in other Moroccan dishes.
It is built up of layers of quinoa, chickpeas, spinach, raisins and apricots, as well as herbs and spices like parsley, turmeric, cumin and cinnamon. I even like to top it off with a few flaked almonds.
The spices get cooked with the onions which brings out their flavours making the dish even more flavourful.
Although not authentic, quinoa is a great alternative to couscous which is very popular in Moroccan cuisine. This is because it behaves in a similar way but has more plant based protein. It also brings a really nice, slightly nutty taste to the final salad.
How to cook the perfect quinoa
Cooking quinoa doesn't have to be complicated. Just follow the guide set out below for perfect quinoa every time.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Rinse the quinoa
Quinoa has a natural coating called saponin, which can make it taste bitter.
- Place the quinoa in a sieve and rinse thoroughly under cold running water.
- Drain well.
2. Measure the liquid
- The ideal quinoa-to-liquid ratio is 1:2.
- If you find you need more water than this you may have boiled or simmered it too vigorously.
- I like to use stock rather than plain water as this gives more flavour.
3. Simmer
- Place the saucepan with the quinoa and liquid over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low.
- Let it simmer gently for 15 minutes.
4. Check it's done
- After 15 minutes, the quinoa should have absorbed all the liquid.
- The grains will appear soft, and a small spiral "tail" (the germ) will pop out of each seed.
5. Rest and fluff
- Once it's cooked, remove the pot from heat and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes. This resting period allows the quinoa to steam and fully absorb any remaining moisture.
- Fluff the quinoa gently with a fork.
Add-ons
If you want to make this a more substantial meal you could choose to serve it with vegan "chicken" pieces or some roasted tofu or tempeh. This would also increase the protein content.
For an extra hit of flavour you could also drizzle over some harissa.
The recipe
Vegan Moroccan Inspired Chickpea and Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 240 g quinoa
- 480 ml vegetable stock
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 0.5 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 0.5 teaspoon cinnamon
- 60 g raisins
- 60 g dried apricots roughly chopped
- 240 g chickpeas from a 400 g tin
- 2 handfuls spinach roughly chopped
- 0.5 bunch fresh parsley roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoon flaked almonds
Instructions
- Add the quinoa to a saucepan along with the stock and simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes or until cooked.
- While the quinoa is cooking, fry the onion in the oil for 5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add the spices to the frying pan and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Place the cooked onions and spices to one side to cool while the quinoa continues cooking.
- Once cooked, drain the quinoa and leave to cool.
- Once the quinoa and onions are cooled, combine in a bowl with the remaining ingredients except the flaked almonds.
- Toss until well combined.
- Served topped with the flaked almonds.
Nutrition
More salad recipes
If you like this recipe you may enjoy some of these other tasty salads.
Enjoy!
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