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quinoa salad
5 from 2 votes

Quinoa Salad with Croutons & Champagne Vinaigrette

This quinoa salad, with homemade croutons, quinoa, veggies, and my champagne vinaigrette, proves that a salad can be a meal.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time35 mins
Total Time50 mins
Servings: 4
Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the quinoa:

  • 1 ½ cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
  • 3 cups vegetable broth, or water; vegetable broth will be more flavorful
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp garlic powder

For the champagne vinaigrette:

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 pinch of pepper
  • ½ tsp rosemary, dried
  • 1 ½ Tbsp Vegenaise, or mayonnaise
  • 2 Tbsp champagne vinegar

For the roasted veggies:

  • 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 20 asparagus spheres, rough ends removed and cut to 1 ½ inch pieces
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil

For the croutons:

  • 3 cups cubed baguette or ciabatta bread, about ¾ inch cubes
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • Pinch of pepper
  • ½ tsp rosemary, dried

Everything else:

  • 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
  • Arugula, 6-8 cups, or to preference
  • Goat cheese, for sprinkling (omit to keep vegan)

Instructions

Make the vinaigrette

  • Add all the ingredients to a small bowl, and whisk until the dressing gets creamy and emulsifies. Vinaigrette is done.
  • Note: if the Vegenaise/mayonnaise separates from the oil as it sits, simply whisk the vinaigrette together again.

Make the quinoa

  • Add the quinoa, vegetable broth/water, salt, and garlic powder to a large soup pot.
  • Bring it to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to low, and cook the quinoa uncovered for 27-32 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Stir occasionally.
  • The quinoa is done when the liquid is absorbed. The quinoa should still have a bite to it and not be mushy.
  • While the quinoa cooks, roast the veggies and bake the croutons.

Roast the veggies

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Place the tomatoes, asparagus, salt, and olive oil on a standard-sized baking sheet.
  • With your hands, toss the olive oil and salt into the veggies until they are evenly coated. Now spread the veggies out evenly on the baking sheet. Make sure that the membrane side of each tomato is facing up.
  • Roast the veggies at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
  • Veggies are done, set aside.

Bake the croutons

  • While the veggies roast, prepare the croutons.
  • On another standard-sized baking sheet, add the croutons, olive oil, salt, garlic powder, rosemary, and pepper.
  • Toss it all together with your hands, then spread the croutons out evenly on the baking sheet so they’re not touching each other.
  • Bake at 375 degrees for 5 min.
  • Note: depending on the type of bread you use, you may want to bake the croutons longer, but start with five minutes, let them cool, and taste before baking longer. The croutons will get crispier as they cool.

Compile the salad

  • Once the quinoa finishes cooking, add the drained chickpeas and ¼ cup vinaigrette to the quinoa. Stir to combine. Taste, and add more dressing, if desired.
  • Next, add ½ of the roasted veggies to the quinoa. Gently fold them in.

Serve and enjoy!

  • For each individual serving of the salad, spread out a bed of arugula. Layer the quinoa mixture on top. Layer additional roasted veggies over the quinoa, if desired.
  • Sprinkle croutons over the veggies, and additional dressing, if desired. Top with goat cheese, if using (omit to keep vegan).
  • Serve this salad as a stand alone meal for lunch or dinner.

Notes

This salad is vegetarian.
This salad is vegan if you don’t use goat cheese.
This salad is gluten-free if you omit the croutons, or use gluten-free bread.