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Home » Cauliflower Quinoa Salad

Cauliflower Quinoa Salad

July 23, 2020 By Diane Smith 4 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Cauliflower Quinoa Salad Pinterest Pin

Eating cruciferous vegetables is a good habit to get into and an easy way to do that is with this tasty Cauliflower Quinoa Salad made with cauliflower and broccoli. Cruciferous vegetables are known to have powerful anti-cancer effects and not only include broccoli and cauliflower but also greens such as bok choy and kale. 

Quinoa Salad

This salad also has vitamin C-rich red bell peppers, shredded carrot, and parsley and is blended with a lemon vinaigrette made with lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, and a little low-sodium tamari. 

If you already have leftover quinoa it’s quick and easy to pull together. Quinoa is a great grain (technically a pseudo-grain) to batch cook. For example, I made quinoa for Stuffed Acorn Squash and used the leftovers to make this salad.

Quinoa Salad

Otherwise, you’ll want to let the freshly cooked quinoa cool down in the refrigerator before mixing in the rest of the ingredients. The salad is best served cold.

Cauliflower Quinoa Salad Pinterest Pin

If you don’t have these particular vegetables, feel free to mix it up with different vegetables. Cucumber is a good addition or roasted red peppers. You can also sub the chickpeas with a different bean such as red kidney beans. 

Quinoa SaladThis Cauliflower Quinoa Salad is delicious for lunch or for a side dish and is a great way to protein from the chickpeas and quinoa. It’s also gluten-free and can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. 

If you’d like more quinoa, check out some of my other recipes:

  • Quinoa Salad with Mango Dressing
  • Quinoa Salad with Spinach
  • Quinoa Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing
  • Mushroom Quinoa Pilaf
  • Barley Bean Salad with Cauliflower Rice

I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Cauliflower Quinoa Salad! If you have a photo, post it on my Instagram page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking in your caption, and I won’t miss it!

This recipe is Plantricious Friendly because it meets the following guidelines.

"Cooking with Plantricious Friendly Guidelines" Seal

The Trusted Seal for
Plant-Based Nutrition

  • Must be whole food plant-based, contains no animal products
  • May be minimally processed
  • No added oil
  • No added sugars
  • No artificial additives or preservatives
  • *Plantricious Friendly foods may include but are not limited to condiments, fermented foods, soups, sauces, beverages, dressings, marinades, etc.
Quinoa Salad
Print Recipe
3.50 from 12 votes

Quinoa Salad with Cauliflower

This gluten-free crunchy salad with a bright oil-free vinaigrette is a tasty lunch or side dish for dinner. It provides healthy cruciferous cauliflower and broccoli and is colorful to serve.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time30 mins
Servings: 6 people

Equipment

  • Vegetable Peeler
  • Cutting board
  • Knife
  • Mesh Strainer
  • Glass Mixing Bowls with Lids
  • Whisk
  • Stainless Steel Pot Set

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa rinsed
  • 1 large carrot peeled and grated
  • 1 medium bell red pepper seeded and diced 1/4"
  • 1/3 medium red onion (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 1/2 cups no-salt chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups raw cauliflower diced 1/4"
  • 1 1/2 cups raw broccoli diced 1/4"
  • 1/2 cup parsley diced

Dressing

  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoon low-sodium tamari
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
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Instructions

  • Add rinsed quinoa and 2 cups water to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat to boiling, lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the water has evaporated. Add to a large bowl to cool why preparing the rest of the ingredients.
  • Once cooled add the carrot, bell pepper, red onion, chickpeas, cauliflower, broccoli, and parsley to the bowl with the quinoa and stir to combine.
  • Add the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk. Pour 1/2 of the dressing over the salad and mix well. Taste and check to see if you want to use the whole recipe
  • Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Notes

The nutrition is an estimate provided by a nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Quinoa Salad with Cauliflower
Amount per Serving
Calories
212
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
2.5
g
4
%
Saturated Fat
 
0.3
g
2
%
Sodium
 
220
mg
10
%
Carbohydrates
 
36.3
g
12
%
Fiber
 
6.8
g
28
%
Sugar
 
3.2
g
4
%
Protein
 
9.4
g
19
%
Vitamin A
 
900
IU
18
%
Vitamin C
 
64.4
mg
78
%
Calcium
 
70
mg
7
%
Iron
 
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Tag @PlantBasedCooking on Intagram!
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. mike

    June 11, 2021 at 10:07 pm

    I love it, I eat it for breakfst and lunch . I give it an A+ for nutritional value.
    After mixing all the ingredients and the dressing, I add arugula at the table. This gives it a fresh, invigorating, and earthly taste and aroma and increase the green leafy contents of the salad as well.
    Thanks, keep up the good work.

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      June 12, 2021 at 11:56 am

      Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe and I love the idea of adding arugula.👍

      Reply
  2. Liz

    February 7, 2022 at 11:46 am

    5 stars
    This is delicious. I especially like the shredded carrots. The dressing is definitely strong (I like it) but you could add oil to tone it down a bit if needed. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      February 7, 2022 at 12:20 pm

      Hey Liz, thanks for the feedback and I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! It’s recommended that we use very little or no oil for a whole-food, plant-based diet so that’s why most of my recipes don’t include it but you could definitely use a little for your preference. The science on using certain oils, especially olive oil, seems to keep changing and I recently read that it can be beneficial for health. I’ll keep an eye on the data as it evolves. 🙂

      Reply

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