Tomato and Chickpea Quinoa Salad

I posted this recipe for quinoa patties the other day. In it I proclaimed my past skepticism for quinoa and my new love for it. With some leftover quinoa from the patties, I had made a little quinoa salad. Some craisins, a tiny bit of olive oil and some chopped walnuts were perfect. Really. In my quest to create even more salads using quinoa, I created this one. I ditched the olive oil and instead used apple cider vinegar. I added some chickpeas, fresh tomatoes, parsley, cumin, nutmeg and coriander. Using 1.25 cups of quinoa meant that we had a TON of this salad leftover. Normally (and unfortunately), that means some of it goes to waste. Not this time. I ate every. last. drop. of this salad. Yup. It was just that good.

Tomato and Chickpea Quinoa Salad

Servings: 6-8

Serving size: approximately 1/2 cup

Served with Sweet Potato and Red Bean Burgers

• 1.25 cups quinoa
• 2.25 cups water
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1-14 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

1. Place quinoa and water in a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat to low and cover. Cook for approximately 30 minutes.
2. Drain any excess water (though there shouldn't be any leftover). Place quinoa in a large bowl and let cool for 10-15 minutes.
3. Mix in the remaining ingredients with the quinoa. 
4. Top with freshly grated parmesan or mozzarella cheese. Optional.
5. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold.