Quick Quinoa Lunch

The other day I found myself scrounging for ingredients to make lunch at home (clearly I hadn’t planned my food shopping very well!). I didn’t have any lettuce to make a regular salad and I didn’t have any sandwich toppings, but I did have some vegetables, canned beans, and a whole bunch of grains in the pantry.

As you probably know by now, I love quinoa (and if you didn’t know, just check out some of my previous quinoa posts). I especially love how quickly it can be cooked up, which is perfect for a last-minute lunch dish. I ended up with a balanced, satisfying, and delicious lunch that took less than 20 minutes to make (ok – maybe this is longer than it takes to make most lunches, but it was so easy and the active time was only five minutes!).

Vegetable and Chickpea Quinoa Salad
Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup water or low-sodium broth
• 1/2 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
• 2-3 scallions, chopped
• 4-5 roasted asparagus, chopped
• 4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
• 1/2 can no-sodium chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• Handful cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions in water or broth. When fully cooked (water is completely absorbed), rinse under cold water and drain. Set aside in a bowl to cool.
2. When quinoa is at room temperature, add the rest of the ingredients and toss to combine. Divide between two bowls and serve.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): 400 calories, 14 g protein, 55 g carbohydrate, 10 g fiber, 14 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 284 mg sodium

What do you make for lunch when you’re home?