Rainbow Salad Bowl (Printable)

Colorful medley of fresh vegetables, grains, beans, and seeds with zesty dressing

# What You'll Need:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
04 - 1 cup grated carrots
05 - 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
06 - 1 cup baby spinach leaves
07 - 1 small cucumber, sliced

→ Legumes

08 - 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
09 - 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

→ Nuts and Seeds

10 - 1/3 cup roasted cashews or almonds, chopped
11 - 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
12 - 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

→ Dressing

13 - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
14 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
15 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
16 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
17 - 1 garlic clove, minced
18 - Salt and pepper to taste

→ Garnish

19 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

# Directions:

01 - Prepare quinoa according to package instructions and allow to cool completely before assembling the salad.
02 - Wash and cut all vegetables into uniform sizes. Drain and rinse canned chickpeas and black beans thoroughly.
03 - Arrange cooled quinoa, prepared vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds in a large salad bowl or on a platter in colorful sections.
04 - In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt, and pepper until fully emulsified.
05 - Drizzle dressing over the salad just before serving and toss gently to combine, or serve dressing on the side for individual preference.
06 - Top the salad with chopped fresh parsley or cilantro and serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's endlessly adaptable, so you can build it around whatever vegetables are calling to you from the market that week.
  • You'll actually feel energized after eating it, not weighed down, because there's real substance without heaviness.
  • The dressing comes together in under a minute and tastes so much brighter than anything bottled.
02 -
  • Don't dress the salad more than ten minutes before serving unless you're okay with softer vegetables, because the acid in the lemon juice will start breaking down the crunch you worked to maintain.
  • Rinsing your canned beans thoroughly isn't optional, it's what separates a salad that tastes fresh from one that tastes tinny and flat.
03 -
  • Make a double batch of dressing and keep it in a jar in your fridge because it's so good on almost everything else you'll end up using it on roasted vegetables and grain bowls all week.
  • Prep all your vegetables the night before and store them in separate containers so assembly takes literally five minutes when you're hungry.
Go Back