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Artichoke Meyer Lemon Quinoa Salad with Arugula and Crispy Chickpeas

Shanna
A hearty salad with artichokes, quinoa, red onion, feta cheese, herbs and a tangy meyer lemon vinaigrette garnished with crispy chickpeas.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 6 -8 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Chickpeas

  • Two 15 ounce cans of chickpeas garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder/granules

For the Vinaigrette:

  • 3 large cloves garlic peeled and minced
  • ⅓ cup plus one tablespoon Meyer lemon juice
  • ¼ cup high quality olive oil
  • 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Salad:

  • 1 ½ cups white quinoa uncooked
  • 2 ½ cups broth or water
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 15 oz cans artichoke hearts drained and quartered
  • ¾ cup diced red onion
  • ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley divided
  • 2 tablespoon Meyer lemon zest
  • ½-3/4 cup feta cheese crumbled
  • 4-6 cups arugula

Instructions
 

Roast the Chickpeas:

  • Heat oven to 400 Deg. F. Set out a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  • Rinse and drain the chickpeas well then spread out on paper towels to dry as best you can, removing the skins by rolling around between paper towels or removing with your fingers. This takes a bit of time to do, but results in crispier chickpeas when the skins are removed. 
  • Place the chickpeas in a bowl and toss with oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Spread out on the prepared baking sheet and roast until crispy, about 30-40 minutes. Stir every 10 min to ensure even roasting. Let cool complete before using. These can be made a day ahead of time. 

Make the Vinaigrette: 

  • combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Can also be made a day ahead of time and kept chilled until ready to use or kept at room temperature if made the same day. Recipe easily doubles for more vinaigrette. 

Make the quinoa salad:

  • Rinse the quinoa until the water runs clear. You can soak for a while in cool water then rinse. I let the quinoa soak while the chickpeas are roasting.
  • Once the water runs clear from the quinoa let it drain completely. Combine the quinoa with the broth or water in a 4 qt sauce pan and bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Let sit in pan off the heat for 15 minutes. To cool even faster you can spread out on a tray.  Stir in the lemon zest and parsley. 
  • When the quinoa is completely cool, fill a large bowl and add in the artichoke hearts, red onion and feta cheese, leaving a little feta to sprinkle over the top. 
  • If using a large serving bowl add in the arugula then top with the quinoa mixture. For individual salads place arugula on the plate or in bowls then add the quinoa salad. 
  • Drizzle with vinaigrette and sprinkle with a few tablespoons of the crispy chickpeas. This salad is great served warm or cold. 

Notes

Prep and cook times are going to vary depending on if you make the chickpeas and salad same day. Most of the time goes into prep for the chickpeas since removing the skins takes a little bit of time, and hands off time for soaking, rinsing and cooling the quinoa. The rest of the salad comes together pretty quickly.