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Loaded Spinach Salad with Creamy Avocado Basil Dressing

Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Crispy Chickpeas, Tomato, and Avocado Basil Dressing. A hearty, filling salad that can be a meal in itself! Easy healthy vegan recipe.
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This healthy vegan salad is loaded with flavor!

  • Author: Happy Healthy Mama
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 main course servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale

For the Salad

  • 1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed well
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 5 ounces baby spinach leaves
  • 1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and cut into chunks

For the Dressing

  • 1 avocado
  • 3–5 basil leaves (depending on their size)
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • a pinch or two of salt
  • water (1/4-1 cup)

Instructions

  1. Put the quinoa and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat.  Add the chickpeas and salt and sauté until the chickpeas are browned and crispy, about 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, make the dressing.  Put the avocado, basil leaves, garlic, lemon juice, and salt in the blender.  Blend and add 1/4 cup water.  Add more water as needed to make the dressing to your desired consistency.  It should be thick and creamy.
  4. To assemble the salad, add the baby spinach to a large bowl.  Top with the quinoa, chickpeas, tomato chunks, and drizzle with part of the dressing.  Toss and add more dressing so everything in the salad is coated.  Season generously with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Notes

The amount of water you need and the amount of dressing you have will depend on the size of your avocado.  I recommend a medium-sized avocado.  If it’s too small it might not yield enough dressing, and if it’s huge you may have too much.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://happyhealthymama.com/loaded-spinach-salad-with-creamy-avocado-basil-dressing.html