Warm Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas & Chard

Quinoa is a popular food here at Today I Cooked (and let's face it, across the food blogosphere). We like it with lentils, toasted and maple-y for breakfast, fried into quinoa corn cakes, as a flour for cake,  in tamales, served with roasted veggies and avocado, and lots of other ways, too. My sisters and I could subsist on cheese and carbs if left unchecked, so quinoa is a good high-protein option for us.

This is what you get when my camera is broken

I make variations of this salad regularly, because it is easy and delicious.

1.5 cups uncooked quinoa

2 tomatoes

2 lemons

1 large bunch chard

1 bunch green onions

2 shallots

1 15 oz. can chickpeas

2 tablespoons pesto

4 tablespoons hummus

Fresh Basil

Sea Salt

Start your quinoa cooking either in a slow cooker or on the stovetop. It cooks much more quickly than rice, so pay attention! Open and rinse chickpeas and add to a large serving bowl. De-stem and tear chard. Slice green onions and shallots. Chop tomatoes. Add all of it to a bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix pesto, hummus, and the juice of two lemons. Stir into beans/tomatoes/greens mixture. Once quinoa is done, add to bowl. Season with sea salt and thinly sliced fresh basil. 

Considerations for food ethics and allergies: Gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, soy free.

If you are like us and still have chard to use (see below), try this. Alternately, check out how my good friend Heather is dealing with this chard-knock life. 

Community gardening in the desert Southwest