Jennifer Aniston Vibrant Salad (Printable Version)

A vibrant blend of quinoa, chickpeas, feta, fresh herbs, and nuts for a cool and satisfying dish.

# What You Need:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup uncooked quinoa or bulgur
02 - 2 cups water (for cooking grains)

→ Legumes

03 - 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

→ Vegetables

04 - 1 large cucumber, diced
05 - 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

→ Dairy

06 - 3/4 cup (100 g) crumbled feta cheese

→ Herbs

07 - 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
08 - 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

→ Nuts & Seeds

09 - 1/3 cup pistachios or slivered almonds, toasted and roughly chopped

→ Dressing

10 - 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
11 - 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
12 - 1 clove garlic, minced
13 - 1/2 tsp sea salt
14 - 1/4 tsp black pepper

# How To Make:

01 - Rinse quinoa or bulgur thoroughly. In a medium saucepan, combine with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender—about 12 minutes for quinoa or 15 minutes for bulgur. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled grains, chickpeas, diced cucumber, chopped red onion, crumbled feta, parsley, mint, and toasted nuts.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, sea salt, and black pepper until emulsified.
04 - Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss gently to ensure even coating.
05 - Taste the salad and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes restaurant-quality but comes together in about thirty minutes, making you look far more impressive than the effort required.
  • The combination of protein from chickpeas and nuts means you can eat it as a complete meal without feeling like you're missing anything.
  • It actually gets better when you make it ahead, so it's perfect for meal prep or bringing to gatherings.
02 -
  • The salad is actually better the next day once all the flavors have gotten to know each other, but the nuts go soft if you mix them in early, so keep them separate until you're about to eat.
  • Don't skip the toasting step for the nuts—it takes five minutes and completely transforms them from good to absolutely necessary.
03 -
  • Make the dressing in a mason jar and store it separately if you're prepping ahead; the salad will keep for two days, but the nuts should never be stored with dressing.
  • If you can't find good feta, a crumbly goat cheese works beautifully, though it has a different personality that some people actually prefer.
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