So you know how we had a little discussion the other day about how to soak, season and cook your own dried beans? Well, this is an example of what I like to do with the cooked beans.

A simple grain salad with beans for protein and as many vegetables as I can shove in there. I started touching on this subject about a month ago when I posted this Bulgur Salad.

For this one, I decided to use my Toasted Garlic and Parsley Quinoa as the base. If you like that recipe (which many of you apparently do since I get a lot of emails about it!), then you are really going to enjoy this salad.

Now, you certainly do not have to use home cooked beans, canned is perfectly appropriate and an obvious time saver if you are not in the habit of cooking beans. And, you can get creative with the vegetables here and sub green beans for broccoli or kale for the spinach but whatever you do, don’t skimp on the garlic and spices!

I made a rather large batch (doubling the Quinoa recipe) so that we could have this for dinner and then for lunch for the rest of the week. You may want to halve this recipe if you are only feeding one or two people.

NOTES:

If you want to serve this as a large side dish, reduce the portion to one cup and the Points Plus changes to 5 Points Plus Per Serving {12 Servings}.

5.0 from 2 reviews

Red, White + Green Quinoa Salad
 
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7 Points Plus Per Serving — Recipe Makes 8 Servings — Individual Serving is 1.5 Cups

Ingredients
QUINOA:
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 medium cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
  • 2 cups Quinoa (rinsed if necessary)
  • 4 cups water
  • ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • ½ lemon, juiced
SALAD:
  • 1 pound cherry tomatoes, rinsed and halved
  • 3 cups cooked white beans (2 15-ounce cans rinsed and drained)
  • 6 ounces baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1 pound broccoli, florets cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons water + pinch or two kosher salt for cooking broccoli and spinach
  • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves + more for serving
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • ½ lemon, juiced

Instructions
PREP:
  1. Smash and chop garlic. Roughly chop baby spinach leaves.
  2. Chop parsley, divide into ½ cup, one-third of a cup and leave rest in a little dish for serving. Rinse and halve tomatoes. Cut broccoli florets into even bite sized pieces (I like to save the stalks for a stir-fry, just to be sure to peel the outer woody stalk).
  3. If using canned beans, rinse and drain. Cut lemon, grab spices and oil. Rinse Quinoa if you bought it in bulk or the package doesn’t clearly say, “Pre-Rinsed”. *Note that I only show ⅓ cup chopped Parsley in this picture – the rest is off to the side – let’s chalk it up to Mommy Brain*
COOK QUINOA:
  1. Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add oil. When hot, add in garlic. Cook, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Garlic will begin to brown.
  2. Immediately add quinoa. Continue toasting garlic and quinoa, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes.
  3. Add water, salt, black pepper, red pepper and parsley.
  4. Bring to a rolling boil. Stir, cover, turn heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat, let sit covered for at least 5 minutes. Squeeze half a lemon over Quinoa and gently fluff with a fork.
COOK VEGETABLES:
  1. While Quinoa is cooking, a another large skillet over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. When hot, toss in broccoli florets, 2 tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt. Immediately cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes.
  2. Remove lid, add in roughly chopped spinach, remaining 2 tablespoons of water and another pinch of salt. Stir to combine, cover and cook for 1 more minute.
  3. Transfer broccoli and spinach mixture to a very large mixing bowl or salad bowl. Toss in beans, tomatoes and ½ cup chopped parsley.
  4. When Quinoa is done cooking and resting, combine with broccoli mixture and adjust spices. I added the full amounts of remaining spices: 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes and juice from half a lemon. Be sure to taste as you season and adjust as needed.
  5. This is great served chilled or warm – Enjoy!

 

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