Description
Herby Quinoa Salad with a Classic Tahini Dressing is what all plant-based meal prepping aspires to be. It’s full of unique textures, fresh flavors, and is high in vegan protein.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For Go-To Tahini Dressing:
- 4 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1/2 large lemon
- 2 1/2 TBS tahini paste (runny)
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Pinch of pepper
- 1 tsp maple syrup
For Herby Salad:
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (15 oz, or about 1 1/2 cups cooked)
- 2–3 cups baby kale
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped basil or mint
- 2 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
- 1/4 cup vegan feta (or olives)
- 1/4 cup chopped almonds (or other nut/seed, maybe hemp or sunflower)
- 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or dried)
Instructions
- To make tahini dressing: Combine olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, salt, pepper, and maple syrup in a small jar. Stir to fully combine, adding more olive oil if the mixture is too thick. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt to highlight other flavors and more maple syrup for sweetness (if your tahini is a bit bitter).
- To prepare the quinoa: rinse under a fine strainer as needed, to remove any bitter notes. Add to a small pot with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Let cook for 12-15 minutes, until water is absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and cover for a few minutes more to steam.
- While quinoa is cooking, add chickpeas, kale, parsley, basil/mint, green onions, feta if using, and almonds to a large bowl. Pour quinoa on top and drizzle dressing over everything. Stir to combine, working to coat as much as possible with the tahini sauce.
- Top with blueberries and serve at room temperature. This will taste even better as it sits in the fridge, as flavors will have time to marinate.
Notes
To store, cover in a container and refrigerate for 4-5 days. The herbs may begin to wilt a bit but should taste fine.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One sixth of recipe
- Calories: 326.9 calories
- Sugar: 5.6 grams
- Sodium: 156.2 milligrams
- Fat: 18.7 grams
- Saturated Fat: 3.3 grams
- Unsaturated Fat: 15.4 grams
- Trans Fat: 0 grams
- Carbohydrates: 32.9 grams
- Fiber: 6.4 grams
- Protein: 9.3 grams
- Cholesterol: 0 milligrams