This Rainbow Salad is almost too beautiful to eat. It comes together very quickly and makes a very large quantity. I even tried cutting it in half and still ended up with a very large bowl of salad. The real trick to the salad is just getting everything consistent in size when you’re chopping the vegetables. Remember consistency in size equals consistency and flavor. You want each bite to have a little bit of everything so you do not want to cut your vegetables too big.
Getting Started
To get started, prep and clean all the vegetables first. Get your quinoa cooking and your garbanzo beans or chickpeas rinsed and drained. That way everything ‘s almost ready to go when you’re done chopping your vegetables.
Chop Chop Chop
Start by cutting up your vegetables and dropping them into a very large bowl. Once your vegetables are all chopped you can start on your dressing. Perfecting your knifes skills really makes this salad come together quickly. Remember to take control of the knife and use it to your advantage to make clean cuts. You can adjust the amount of the vegetables if there is one that is more favorable than another.
Dressing
One of the tricks to this dressing is to make sure you emulsify it very well so make sure that you put it into a container that has a very tight lid and shake vigorously until it’s all combined.
Grains and Beans
Once your quinoa is finished cooking fluff with a fork and let it cool for a bit. It does not have to be cold but it does have to cool down quite a bit so you don’t wilt your vegetables. When it’s cool combine the quinoa and the chickpeas and gently fold and stir your salad.
Isn’t it beautiful? It makes such a beautiful presentation. Toss with your salad dressing to combine and serve immediately.
This beautiful Rainbow Salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three to five days. It really depends on the dressing to salad ratio as more dressing will cause the salad to lose its crunch over time.
Some pretty cool variations would be to switch out the sunflower seeds for cashews. You could also add some other vegetables like edamame, maybe a small bit of red onion, little pieces of zucchini or cucumber. Make it yours. Either way it will taste great. I would only add however as you do not want to take away from all the beautiful colors, textures and flavors in this beautiful Rainbow Salad.
You could probably switch up the dressing if you would like. Try a different variation with a Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing or our Caesar Dressing. Even the Mango Hemp Dressing might be something to dry.
Be sure to try some of our other salads~
Chickpea Salad Recipe
Chickpea Salad with Chickpeas or garbanzo beans, avocado, cucumber, tomato and feta cheese. Chickpea Salad loaded with crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado, feta cheese and chickpeas or garbanzo beans. Fresh, healthy and protein packed!
Lemon Kale and Beet Salad
Chickpea Salad with Chickpeas or garbanzo beans, avocado, cucumber, tomato and feta cheese. Chickpea Salad loaded with crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado, feta cheese and chickpeas or garbanzo beans. Fresh, healthy and protein packed!
White Bean and Veggie Salad
This meatless main-dish salad combines creamy, satisfying white beans and avocado. Try mixing it up with different seasonal vegetables and enjoy this dish all year long.
Rainbow Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup Broccoli Chopped Small
- 1 cup Red Pepper Chopped Small
- 1 cup Chickpeas
- 1 cup Red Cabbage Sliced Small Strips
- 1/2 cup Scallions Chopped Small
- 1 cup Carrots Chopped or Grated
- 1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds
- 1 cup Quinoa
Dressing
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 4 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup rice wine or white vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Cook 1 cup of quinoa
- Rinse and drain 1 can of chickpeas. Also can be made fresh
- Wash and prep all the vegetables.
- While the quinoa is cooking cut the vegetables and add to a large bowl
- Once quinoa is finished cooking, let it cool a bit.
- Add Chickpeas and Quinoa to salad and mix.
Dressing
- Combine all dressing ingredients and shake vigorously until emulisified and well combined.
Your Notes
Nutrition
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