Epic & Colourful Summer Salad
I hereby give you your new go-to summer salad. Seriously, it doesn’t get better than this. This salad truly has it all - it’s filling, crunchy, satisfying and colourful. For lunch or as a side for dinner, you pick!This vegetarian salad provides a nice balance between healthy carbs, fats and protein. It is high in fibre, good nutrients, and the whole family can enjoy it. Bonus: If you don’t have a certain vegetable, just swap it with whatever you have in the fridge.
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup chilled, cooked grain of choice: quinoa, whole-wheat couscous or bulgur
- ½ can pre-cooked chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 red bell pepper cubed
- 1 yellow bell pepper cubed
- 1 carrot grated
- 2 Roma tomatoes cubed
- ½ cup fresh peas
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- Black olives pitted and halved, optional
- Dried cranberries or raisins optional for some sweetness
Dressing
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
- 1 tablespoon liquid honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Begin with preparing the dressing: Place all dressing ingredients in a jar, close with a lid and shake until well combined. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, place the chilled grain of choice, chickpeas, bell peppers, carrot, tomatoes, fresh peas and parsley.
- With a tablespoon, mix all ingredients. If adding black olives, cranberries or raisins, add them now and mix.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.
- Refrigerate for an hour before serving to allow the flavours to set.