Quinoa, Black Bean, and Chickpea Salad

If you are looking for a simple, healthy and delicious vegan quinoa salad, give this Quinoa, Black Bean and Chickpea Salad a try!
Hi, quinoa lovers! I'm Leigha, the blogger behind The Yooper Girl. I love to run and do anything outdoors. I also love cooking! I love to experiment with vegan and gluten free recipes. I'm not any strict diet myself, but I eat a little bit from every diet!
When Wendy asked me to write a guest post for Cooking Quinoa I was so excited. With all of the amazing recipes she has, I was honored! Quinoa is one of my favorite foods to work with since it can go so many different directions. Baked, salads, breakfast, soups...(may I mention my vegan quinoa sweet potato chili?)

I decided to remake an old recipe on my blog - Mexican Quinoa Salad.

I subbed the corn for chickpeas and used vegetable broth to make it vegan!

You add the quinoa right to the sauteed garlic and onions and it cooks in vegetable broth instead of water, so it has incredible flavor. Once you try making quinoa like this you'll never make it with water again!

As a bonus, this dish is both vegan and gluten free! I had a plate when it was fresh from the pot and I've been taking it for lunch cold. It's amazing both ways and it's even better topped with a little avocado! Texture people will go crazy for this. It's the perfect amount of crunch from the chickpeas and chewy from the quinoa and black beans.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. You can eat it as a main meal, a side, or even as a filling for tacos! You could top it with a little Greek yogurt (or sour cream!) and shredded cheese for a more Mexican salad. The possibilities with this are endless!

Here's the recipe!

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5 from 2 votes

Quinoa, Black Bean, and Chickpea Salad

If you are looking for a simple, healthy and delicious vegan quinoa salad, give this Quinoa, Black Bean and Chickpea Salad a try!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Salad, Vegan

Cuisine: American, Gluten Free, Quinoa

Servings: 4

Calories: 319kcal

Author: Wendy Polisi

Ingredients

• 1 ⅓ cup vegetable broth
• ⅔ cup quinoa
• 1 teaspoon sunflower oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 onion diced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• shake of salt pepper, and garlic powder
• 1 ½ cups black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 ½ cups chickpeas garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a medium to large pot, heat 1 teaspoon of oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and chopped onion and stir for a few minutes, until soft and fragrant.
• Rinse the quinoa in a sieve then add it to the pot. Pour vegetable broth over everything and add the cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
• Bring to a soft boil then turn heat to low. Let it sit for 20-25 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked.
• Add the black beans and chickpeas and stir to incorporate until everything is heated.
• Serve either hot or cold and top with avocado!

Nutrition

Calories: 319kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 4g | Sodium: 321mg | Potassium: 616mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 185IU | Vitamin C: 3.3mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 4.8mg

Thanks again for having me guest post, Wendy. I hope you all love this recipe and be sure to check out my blog! Leave a comment too - I'd love to hear from you 🙂