Description
This Curry Cashew Chickpea Quinoa Salad combines fluffy quinoa, hearty chickpeas, crisp vegetables, fresh herbs, sweet dried cherries, and maple cayenne toasted cashews. It’s colorful, satisfying, and perfect for an easy lunch, meal prep, or a flavorful side dish.
Ingredients
Scale
For the quinoa
- ¾ cup quinoa
- 1⅔ cups water
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ¾ cup frozen green peas, thawed
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil, or olive oil
- ½ tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon curry powder, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the mix-ins
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup dried cherries or dried cranberries
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- ⅓ cup finely chopped cilantro
- ⅓ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
For the maple cayenne toasted cashews
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- ½ tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Add the quinoa and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, fluff with a fork, cover again, and let steam for 5–10 minutes.
- Stir the chickpeas, peas, sesame oil, ginger, curry powder, turmeric, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper into the cooked quinoa until evenly combined.
- Add the red bell pepper, shredded carrots, dried cherries, red onion, cilantro, and parsley. Gently toss until everything is well distributed.
- Place the cashews in a skillet over medium heat. Toast for 4–6 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly golden and fragrant.
- Turn off the heat and immediately stir the maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and sea salt into the cashews. Stir for about 30 seconds, then transfer them to a plate or parchment paper. Spread them out and let cool.
- Top the quinoa salad with the maple cayenne cashews just before serving. Enjoy warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Notes
- Rinse quinoa before cooking unless the package says it is pre-rinsed.
- Add extra curry powder if you prefer a stronger curry flavor.
- Dried cranberries can replace dried cherries.
- Olive oil can be substituted for sesame oil.
- Reduce or omit the cayenne for a milder salad.
- For meal prep, store the cashews separately and add them just before serving so they stay crunchy.
- The recipe makes 4 main-dish servings or 6 side-dish servings.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American / Fusion
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 510 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 570 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 70 g
- Fiber: 12 g
- Protein: 16 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg