We all know that dark leafy greens are good for us but most of us don’t eat enough of them. We can be honest and say that they are not that tasty and that we often prefer other more comforting meals.
But what if we could combine those super healthy ingredients with stuff that makes our bellies satisfied and happy, and still are healthy? That would be an answer, right?
I created this amazing salad which ticks all the boxes, so let’s start cooking! We will combine simple quinoa with chickpeas, herby breadcrumbs and lots of Swiss chard. There are different textures, many colors and great spices. You will experience explosion of flavors in your mouth and I’m not joking.
I love big flavors but I also like to keep it simple. I try to use the ingredients that are easily available in every grocery store so you don’t have to search for them. I am sure that many ingredients you already have at home.
Look at this color! Isn’t it amazing? I’ve always been a ‘princess’ and pink is my favorite color, so obviously I enjoyed it very much.
And it looks great when baked too.
Soft quinoa with crunchy bread crumbs is such a great combo! Try it and you will be surprised!
Here you go – crunchy and delicious.
And now we just have to mix them all together.
And enjoy!
You will love this salad. It’s so good and you will not think that you’re eating something healthy. It’s totally comforting and yum!
Thank you for visiting!
Cheers!
Martina
Swiss chard salad with quinoa and chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Swiss chard
- 2 slices wholemeal bread
- 150 g quinoa
- 350 g canned chickpeas
- 1 small dried chili
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 10 leaves fresh oregano
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook quinoa for about 15 minutes and set it aside (proportion 1 quinoa: 2 water)
- Slice chard stalks in this pieces and roughly chop the leaves. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and bake the stalks for 4 minutes or until tender. Add leaves and bake for another 3 minutes. Set aside.
- Cut 2 slices of bread in big chunks. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil and bake the bread chunks for about 5 minutes stirring often. Chop garlic into thick slices and add it to bread. Bake for another two minutes. Add salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, fresh oregano, chili and cumin, stir to warm all ingredients and place the mixture in the food processor. Pulse the mixture until it resembles bread crumbs and set aside.
- Add chickpeas in a large sauce pan and heat it up. Add quinoa, chard and breadcrumbs, and heat everything all the way through.
- Serve immediately. This salad is delicious when it's cold too so you can save the rest for later.