I’m guessing quite a few of you haven’t cooked with black quinoa before so today I’m sharing a simple salad to get you started – I just love how black quinoa looks in dishes, it adds a touch of drama! I’m also sharing 27 Quinoa Recipes down there at the bottom of this post just in case you are as mad about the grain as I am!
It’s all change here at Thinly Spread – Number One left for Berlin last week where he will be spending 7 months studying and Number Two is also flying the nest shortly to head up North for his first year at Uni. It will be very odd going from six of us to four and I will be over cooking again as I did last year until I get a handle on quantities. Perhaps I should just pack up the extras and send them on to my boys – this black quinoa and spiced chickpea salad would travel well!
My lot will happily wolf down quinoa which makes me happy as it is a complete protein containing all nine of the amino acids which are essential in the human diet. It’s also really versatile as an ingredient popping up in burgers and bakes as well as salads and stir fries. This Black Quinoa and Spiced Chickpea Salad stands well on its own but is also delicious as a side dish with roasted vegetables, inside a baked sweet potato or as part of a Buddha bowl.
If you haven’t cooked with black quinoa before it has a slightly crunchier texture than white quinoa and the grains aren’t as sticky which makes it an excellent choice for this dish. I’ve made it with summer veg here but you can easily ring the seasonal changes by adding some autumn or winter vegetables instead. Sweet potato is an obvious choice, as are sweetcorn kernels straight from the cob. You could swap the chickpeas for lentils or butter beans, add handfuls of fresh herbs or switch around the spices and add in your favourites – whatever floats your boat!
Black Quinoa and Spiced Chickpea Salad
A delicious and versatile Black Quinoa and Spiced Chickpea Salad recipe. Serves 8 as a starter or 4 as a main.
- 400 g 2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 225 g 1 cup black quinoa (you can use white quinoa if you can’t find black)
- 450 ml 2 cups water
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 1/4 red onion sliced thinly into half moons
- 200 g 1 cup sugar snap peas, topped and tailed
- 1 red pepper deseeded and diced
- 1 red chilli deseeded and sliced
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp tamari
-
Simmer the quinoa in the water for 15 minutes until tender but with bite, drain, refresh under cold water and drain well.
-
Bring a small pan of water to the boil, add the sugar snap peas and simmer for 2 minutes, drain and refresh under cold running water.
-
Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a frying pan, add the paprika, chilli flakes, chickpeas, sunflower and pumpkin seeds and gently fry for 2 minutes until the chickpeas and seeds are well coated with the spice mix, leave to cool.
-
Pour the quinoa into a bowl, add the spiced chickpeas and seeds, the sugar snap peas, red pepper, red onion and chilli and stir to combine.
-
Whisk together the remaining tablespoon of oil and the tamari stir through the salad and serve.
Black quinoa is readily available in whole food stores and Holland & Barrett in the high street. Just look at that salad – isn’t it pretty?!
Here are some more vegetarian and vegan quinoa recipes to tempt you!
One Pot Quinoa Chilli by Thinly Spread
Quinoa, Cauliflower and Butternut Squash Curry by Celery and Cupcakes
Warm Rice and Quinoa Salad with Pan Fried Tofu by Fab Food 4 All
Mexican Quinoa Bake and Quinoa Tabbouleh by I Heart Vegetables
Gingerbread Quinoa Coffee Cake and Spicy Red Sriracha Quinoa by Strength and Sunshine
Quinoa Chickpea Buddha Bowl by Minimalist Baker
Quinoa Bowl with Broccoli and Pumpkin Three Ways by Tin and Thyme
Rainbow Vegetable Quinoa Bake by Family Friends Food
Quinoa with Griddled Courgettes, Mozzarella and Preserved Lemon by From the Healthy Heart
Chocolate Quinoa Crunch Bars and Courgette Quinoa Waffles by Rough Measures
Mexican Quinoa Casserole by Supper in the Suburbs
Coconut Almond Quinoa Granola and Butternut Squash Kale Quinoa by Nadia’s Healthy Kitchen
Quinoa Bean Burgers and Quinoa Buddha Bowl with Tahini Dressing by Little Sunny Kitchen
Flower Sprout, Shiitake, Quinoa and Egg Breakfast and Kimchi Quinoa Burgers by Food to Glow
Golden Mango Quinoa Salad with Lentils and Malted Wholegrain and Quinoa Granola by Food to Glow
Greek Quinoa Salad and Quinoa Burger by Trial and Eater
Black Bean Quinoa Chilli and Quinoa and Tofu Satay by Eat Healthy, Eat Happy
*I originally created this recipe for the July/August edition of Superfood Magazine*
Hello! I'm Chris, vegan lover of life, wordsmith, storyteller, picture taker, mum to four. Welcome to Thinly Spread where I share recipes, kitchen stories, travels, adventures and family warmth from our home in deepest Somerset and our boat in Poole. 
This salad looks so appetising and so healthy, just love it:-) Thank you for linking to mine:-)
Thanks Camilla – your pan fried tofu looks delicious!
What a fabulous collection. Thanks for including me.
My pleasure – your recipe had me drooling!
Ooh yes, that does look beautiful Chris. I have to confess, although I’ve eaten black quinoa several times, I’ve never actually cooked with it. I can see exactly what you mean about the texture being good for a salad.
Time will fly and your boys will be back before you know it.
It works really well and it’s great in lots of other dishes too – I still have a nice big bag of it so it will be popping up here again soon!
I have some black quinoa in the cupboard which I need to use up! You’re right it’s a bit crunchier, but it looks so good in this.
Get it out, get it out! Liberate the quinoa!
I love quinoa for the reasons you mentioned! It’s so good for you and there is so much you can do with it! This salad sounds like exactly the kind of meal I would love for lunch or dinner 😀
Thanks so much for popping by Nadia 🙂 It’s perfect for lunch – I’m tempted to make it again today!
So Colourful! Love it Chris.
Just having an afternoon of blog reading and realised I don’t do it often enough. Sad really, so much faffing about with our own blogs and social media twaddle, we forget what it used to be about, finding kindred spirits and inspiration from our blogging friends.
Anyway, coming off my soap box to say how gorgeous your blog is looking – that photo of the smoothie bottles, cakes, lasagne – all yummy.
Hope you are coping with your decreasing nest size. Exciting times for the young ones xx
MMmmmmmm!I love quinoa and chickpeas. This looks delish!
Thanks Charlie!
I much prefer black quinoa! This salad looks fab, I bet No 1 and No 2 will come running back for a plate of this! Thanks for linking to my recipes.
I hope so!