This easy Mediterranean salad is made by combining arugula, chickpeas and quinoa with other veggies and tossed in a healthy homemade dressing. This salad has every bit of a thing to rock your salad game. It’s extremely easy to make and there is no cooking involved.

Arugula is one of my favorite leaves when it comes to putting together salads. They have a warm, peppery taste which I absolutely fell for. When combined with any vinaigrette, the flavor of this leafy green is enhanced and it mixes very well with a variety of vegetables and fruits. For this salad, I have combined arugula with roasted bell peppers, olives, cucumbers, chickpeas and quinoa and tossed them in a lemon oregano vinaigrette. I love how all these Mediterranean picks round out this deliciously fresh and tasty salad. And the herby vinaigrette intensifies the overall flavors. It belongs to a lunch/dinner salad territory, as the combination of quinoa, chickpeas and arugula will give you a pretty hefty serving of filling fiber and protein. This salad is everything I wanted it to be – bright, light, fresh, crunchy, flavorful and extremely nutritious.

It is a perfect salad to make ahead and packs very well for lunches or picnics too.

The given recipe yields 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 5 oz arugula
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 cup canned roasted red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 1 (16oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

For the vinaigrette

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 garlic clove, pressed and minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper as per taste

Instructions

• To cook the quinoa, rinse it in a fine colander under running water. Then add the quinoa along with 1 cup of water in a pot and let it come to a gentle boil over medium heat. Then reduce the heat on low and simmer the quinoa until it has absorbed all the water. Remove from heat and let it rest for 10 minutes.
• To make the Vinaigrette, combine all the ingredients listed above for the vinaigrette in a bowl and mix them until emulsified.
• Now in a mixing bowl, add the cooked quinoa, arugula, cucumbers, roasted bell peppers, olives and chickpeas. Pour in the vinaigrette generously and give it a nice mix.
• Voila! Your super-easy, delicious and healthy salad is ready to serve.