This Chicken and Quinoa Salad is a hearty meal that won’t weight you down! It is perfect for your clean eating meal plan.
I feel like I’ve been away for ages! In truth, it really hasn’t been that long, it’s just that my whole world has changed. Over the course of the last few weeks we made the journey from Scottsdale to the Florida beaches. Bye, bye desert, hello ocean breezes. Green, oh how I’ve missed you! And humidity – wow, how is it possible I forgot about you?
Thanks to an extended stop at Grandma’s, baby girl got completely spoiled and is now demanding near constant holding. The boys have caught the first cold they’ve had in around two years and thanks to their excellent health they have a limited experience dealing with being under the weather. (i.e. They are fussy!) To say is hasn’t been the smoothest of transitions is an understatement. Still, I’m thrilled to be here, loving amazing beach walks and confident that once things settle down it will all be worth it.
The house we are in is adorable, but relatively small. Small house = small kitchen. So, you probably won’t be seeing any fancy desserts around here in the near future. The up side is that I can go from totally destroyed to spotless in a fraction of the time it would take in a larger space which means day to day cooking is a bit easier to manage.
This chicken and quinoa salad is one of the first things I made after our arrival. It feels a little tropical thanks to the mango and somehow fitting to late summer.
In other news, my hair is finally growing! Thanks to all of your great suggestions – I’ve used them all and it seems to be worth the effort. It has bee three weeks since the fiasco and I’m planning on coloring it again tomorrow to get rid of my blond highlights. Wish me luck!
Chicken and Quinoa Salad
Bombay Chicken & Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Olive oil spray
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts tempeh or beyond meat chicken strips
- 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa
- 1 mango peeled, pitted and diced
- 2 stalks celery trimmed and sliced thin
- ½ cup currants or raisins
- 4 scallions trimmed and sliced
- ¼ cup almonds toasted and chopped
- Dressing
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or chia gel
Instructions
- Heat a skillet or indoor grill to medium and spray with olive oil.
- In a small bowl combine curry powder, sea salt, cumin, crushed red pepper and black pepper. Spray chicken, tempeh or chicken strips with olive oil and rub with spice mixture. Cook for 5 minutes per side or until cooked through. (If you are using chicken the amount of time will depend on how thick it is.) Remove from heat and allow to cool. Chop into ½ inch pieces and place in a large bowl. Add quinoa, mango, celery, currants, scallions and almonds.
- Meanwhile, combine dressing ingredients in a glass jar or blender. Shake or process until smooth.
- Toss dressing with chicken mixture. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Notes
Nutrition
How are you planning on wrapping your summer up?
I need to make this one ASAP!