This beautiful, veggie-filled recipe is inspired by a popular restaurant in NYC called Charlie Bird. The original recipe is here. I just made a few little tweaks to make it my own:
- Used a mix of quinoa and sprouted-grain rice instead of farro to make it gluten-free
- Added 1 cup of asparagus “coins” : simply chop the asparagus width-wise into thin, pea-sized coins, saving the tips for another recipe and add them to the salad raw. The acid in the dressing helps soften them and they are delicious!
- Added a splash of sherry vinegar, a dash of ground cumin and 2 tablespoons of hummus to the dressing (my fave trick to make a simple dressing super creamy!)
Vegan Chopped Salad with Quinoa and Spring Veggies
for the salad
1 cup cooked grains of choice (I used a mix of quinoa and brown rice)
2 cups arugula leaves, washed and dried
1 cup raw asparagus coins (chop the asparagus width-wise into thin, pea-sized coins, saving the tips for garnish)
1 cup loosely-packed basil leaves, thinly sliced or torn
1 cup loosely-packed mint leaves, thinly sliced or torn
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup thinly sliced radish
½ cup pistachio nuts, chopped
Maldon flakey sea salt to finish
Shaved parmesan cheese, for topping (optional)
for the dressing
- 8 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp hummus
½ tsp ground cumin
Splash of sherry vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
How To Make It
- In a large bowl, add the cooked grains. Top with arugula, asparagus, basil, mint, tomatoes, and stir to combine. Set aside.
- To prepare the dressing, place all dressing ingredients in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid (or a small bowl). Shake or whisk to combine.
- Pour dressing over grains and greens. Stir well.
- Top with pistachio nuts, a pinch or 2 of flakey sea salt and shaved parmesan cheese for garnish (optional).
Enjoy!
Andrea