Cauliflower Quinoa Salad

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

This 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.

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.

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

1/21x2x3x

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.

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