During this summer, I’ve been craving a lot of fresh veggies and fruit. Particularly salads. If you know me or have read my blog a while, we really like the Clean Eating lifestyle. I’m not one to sit here and tell you that I am always eating clean (cut me some slack, I’m 32 weeks pregnant!) and we certainly cheat a lot (hello, chips and queso). When I meal plan our dinners, I try to make all of them as “clean” as I can. We also try to eat less meat and more vegetarian options. So, combining my craving for fresh salads, vegetarian options, and clean eating brought me to this recipe.

Although it’s a salad, it’s high protein with the quinoa, avocado, and chickpeas. I feel like it’s very filling and refreshing. We ate it as a main course, but it would also be a fantastic side dish or appetizer. Give it a go and tell me what you think!

Lemon Quinoa Avocado Salad

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup dry quinoa
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 2 avocados, diced
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 2 tsp minced garlic

For the dressing: 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 tsp. dijon mustard, 2 tsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. local honey, 1/2 tsp. cumin, and dash of salt and pepper.

Preparation Instructions:

Cook the quinoa according to package instructions for 3/4 cup of quinoa. You can use vegetable broth/stock to cook it in, or water.

In a food processor, add spinach and cilantro. Process the greens until they are finely diced. I did this in my small hand blender. You can also chop by hand, if desired.

Add the greens to a bowl, and set aside. Add your garlic and chickpeas, and stir until everything is combined and coated. If the quinoa is cooled, you can add it to the chickpea mixture next.

Prepare the dressing by whisking the ingredients together. Pour over salad, and toss until combined. Add in tomatoes and avocado and mix. Let salad sit in the fridge for about ten minutes to allow the flavors to set.

Yum!