carrot quinoa salad

A simple 15 minute Moroccan carrot salad with quinoa and chickpeas for busy days. Healthy, vegan, and ideal for packed lunches or a quick dinner. Dates, lemon, and parsley round out this filling salad.

Moroccan Carrot Quinoa Salad

(1 cup) dry quinoa

500 ml (2 cups) water

sea salt

(1 1/2 cups) cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed

(1 cup packed) carrots, shredded

(1/4 cup) dates, chopped

(2 cups) baby greens (spinach, kale, rucola)

(1/4 cup) sunflower seeds

(about 1/2 cup) parsley, chopped

garlic, minced*

60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil

lemon (~3 tablespoons)

ginger,

maple syrup (or honey if not vegan)

sea salt,

cinnamon

black pepper

cayenne pepper

Start by cooking the quinoa. Go by your...

Start by cooking the quinoa. Go by your package instructions on whether it needs to be rinsed or not. Add the quinoa to a pot with the water and salt, cover, and heat on high, covered, until boiling. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 12-15 minutes, or until all of the water has been absorbed.

While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the other...

While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the other salad ingredients and place them into a large mixing bowl.

Make the vinaigrette by adding the olive oil,...

Make the vinaigrette by adding the olive oil, lemon juice, ginger, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, pepper, and cayenne pepper to a jar or container. Shake or whisk until fully combined.

Once the quinoa is cooled, remove the pot...

Once the quinoa is cooled, remove the pot from the heat and uncover to let the quinoa cool for a few minutes.

Add the quinoa to the bowl with the...

Add the quinoa to the bowl with the other salad ingredients, then top with the vinaigrette and mix well to combine. Serve immediately. Leftovers will keep well in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Beautiful roasted carrot cauliflower quinoa salad tossed with fresh herbs, sweet Medjool dates and salty pistachios. This vegan cauliflower quinoa salad is lightly dressed with a bright sunshine dressing for the perfect plant-based lunch or side dish!

Roasted Carrot Cauliflower Quinoa Salad with Sunshine Dressing

For the veggies:

carrots (or 3 large), cut in half lengthwise and then cut into 2 inch segments/chunks

cauliflower florets

avocado oil or olive oil

cumin

turmeric

garlic powder

cayenne pepper, if you like a little heat

salt and pepper

For the quinoa:

quinoa

water

For the salad mix-ins:

green onion

cilantro

flat leaf parsley

Medjool dates (or sub dried cherries)

pistachios

peas,

For the dressing:

Sunshine Dressing Recipe

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large pan with parchment paper and add carrots and cauliflower; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cumin, turmeric, garlic powder, cayenne and salt and pepper. Toss well to combine and coat the veggies with the oil and spices. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until carrots and cauliflower are tender and golden; flip veggies halfway through to ensure even roasting.

While the veggies are roasting, you can cook your quinoa: add in quinoa and water to a medium pot and bring mixture to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and cook for exactly 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from heat and fluff quinoa with a fork, then replace the lid and allow quinoa to steam for 5-10 more minutes.

Once quinoa is done cooking, add to a large bowl, then add in the roasted carrots and cauliflower, green onion, cilantro, parsley, chopped dates, pistachios and peas.

Make the sunshine dressing: in a medium bowl, mix together the tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, ginger, turmeric, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Add 2-3 tablespoons of warm water to thin out the dressing so that it’s nice and pourable. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Pour dressing over the salad and mix well to combine. Serves 4 as a main meal, 6 as a side.

Crunchy nutty Quinoa Salad with Carrots, Almonds, Cilantro and Raw Apple Cider Vinaigrette - a simple flavorful vegan salad that can be made ahead- perfect for potlucks, gathering and midweek meals!

Carrot Quinoa Salad 

quinoa,

salt

——-

celery, sliced

scallions, sliced at a diagonal

cilantro, chopped (tender stems ok)

garlic, finely minced

almonds,

½ teaspoon cayenne or aleppo chili flakes

allspice, optional

apple cider vinegar and pepper

sprouts-

apple cider vinegar (with the “mother” in it)

olive oil

raw honey (or maple syrup)

Dijon mustard

pepper

Place 1 cup of rinsed quinoa in a medium pot with 1 3/4 cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, cover, simmer on low heat 12-15 minutes (or until water is gone). Turn heat off, let stand 5 minutes, then let cool uncovered.

While the quinoa is cooking make the Raw Apple Cider Vinaigrette. Place all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk, or in a small jar, sealed with a lid and shaken.

Place carrots, celery, scallions, cilantro, garlic and almonds in a large bowl.

Toss with the vinaigrette and the cooled quinoa.

Add more salt, pepper and vinegar to taste.

Sprinkle in the cayenne and optional allspice.

Toss well and serve, or refrigerate until serving.

Such a delicious and easy lunch! I didn’t have celery on hand so I subbed sliced purple cabbage. I’ll definitely make this again.

So delicious! Can’t wait to make it again!

I have never tried this ingredient have lots Pecans.  I gathered them.  so will try with those.   Thank you Joseph

This salad is so perfectly balanced, I can’t quite put it into words. Some sweetness from the carrot, some tang in the dressing, grounded by the roasted almonds and all whilst still feeling light. This is definitely going to be one of my new staples! Every recipe I’ve tried so far has been spot on. Thank you Sylvia!

I love this salad... the vinaigrette really makes it sing! I'm enjoying all of your recipes Sylvia... so very grateful to have found your site. It's helpful to me as I segue from pescatarian to vegan.

I'm working my way through your lunch recipes, and haven't met any I don't care for yet :).  My girls want school lunches that don't have to be warmed up.  This is another good, hearty lunch for all of us.  Love the flavors!  Thank you :).

Such a fresh tasty salad ❤️
Delicious 😋

Hey I love the recipie I was just wondering how much this makes so I can get the right amount of ingredients.

Thank you so much Sylvia that’s great to know

Wonderful recipe and the result is a very very tasting salad. A new favorite for sure!

I did not had almonds in my pantry but found a bag of walnuts and used them instead. That worked well too! The all spice was missing too, so after a quick google I made my own.
 I have to say, adding all spice really lifts the salad to another level! Yum!

Now let’s see how my family likes it when I serve it tonight!

Did you change the dressing up a little bit? I've made this a kajillion times and have never noticed it had dijon mustard in it.

This salad is a family favorite.

Another one of your recipes I will be making again! Very tasty and perfect as is.

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Moroccan Carrot Quinoa Salad

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Carrot Quinoa Salad

Top 3 carrot quinoa salad recipes from across the web

The most viewed carrot quinoa salad recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Moroccan Carrot Quinoa Salad

Roasted Carrot Cauliflower Quinoa S...

Carrot Quinoa Salad

The most viewed carrot quinoa salad recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine