The Best Moroccan Inspired Quinoa Salad (Gluten Free, Vegan)

Prep: 10 minutesCook: 20 minutesTotal: 30 minutes
Yield: serves 2Categories: Dinners, Soups/Sides
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I absolutely love this Moroccan quinoa salad! It is light, fresh and packed full of flavour! It works really well on its own as a light lunch or dinner but would also work well as part of a larger meal or as a side at a barbecue.

This is the perfect meal to make in advance and eat on the go as it keeps well in tupperware containers and does not need to be reheated.

Sometimes quinoa can have a bitter aftertaste but you can overcome this by soaking it for around an hour before rinsing it in cold water before you cook it. Guidance on this can usually be found on the packets so definitely make sure you check this. Quinoa can also have a may contain warning for gluten due to to cross contamination risks so take this into consideration when you are purchasing this ingredient.

The vegetables used in this salad don’t have to be set in stone and you can mix them up depending on whatever you have in that needs eating, making it a great way to fight food waste. I really love this with coriander and mint but you could also throw some chopped dill and chopped parsley in too if you have any that needs using up. I don’t personally add it into this Moroccan quinoa salad but if you prefer your meal to pack a little more of a punch you could throw some chopped chilli in too.

For other salads using quinoa as the star of the show why not check out this recipe for my Grilled Peach & Quinoa Salad. If you are looking for a simple salad recipe with a twist you may also enjoy my 5 Minute Sesame & Soy Chopped Salad which you can find here.

If you like the flavours in this salad you may also like my Moroccan Inspired Quinoa Traybake which you can find here.

If you like this recipe and want to show some support please leave a comment below or visit my Ko-Fi account to donate! x

Ingredients

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imperial
  • 100g 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 1 can chickpeas
  • 50g 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp sultanas
  • 2 handfuls mixed leaves
  • 1 handful cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 handful radishes
  • 1/2 red pepper
  • 1/4 cucumber
  • 3 tbsp pistachios (shelled)
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 300ml water
  • few sprigs coriander
  • few sprigs mint
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • 1/2 tsp sumac
  • pinch sea salt

Method

  1. Add the quinoa, water and stock cube to a saucepan and bring to the boil, allow to cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally
  2. Once the quinoa has soaked up most of the water, add the sultanas and drained chickpeas. Allow to cook for a few more minutes until the quinoa is done before removing from the heat and setting aside
  3. Chop and deseed the pepper and add to a large mixing bowl along with the chopped cucumber, radishes, cherry tomatoes and mixed leaves
  4. Roughly chop the mint and coriander before adding to the mixed salad along with the juice of 1/2 lemon, pistachios, sumac and salt
  5. Add the quinoa to the salad bowl and stir well, ensuring all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Top with additional fresh herbs and pistachios before serving if desired

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