A few weeks ago I enjoyed supper at The Root Cellar, a wonderful gem of a cafe and eatery in London, Ontario. They have such a wealth of delicious, inventive food options that include locally-sourced foods with a focus on sustainable and seasonal options.

I ordered the Power Protein Salad and then knew I had to re-create it at home. This salad is an amazing blend of flavours and superfood nutrition: baby spinach, quinoa, chickpeas, pickled red onions, mangos, and toasted cashews, all drizzled in a tangy and savoury apple cider & curry vinaigrette.

That’s a lot of delicious business in one bowl.

And, the beauty of this salad is that one afternoon of cooking prep (making your quinoa, pickling a red onion, dicing up mango, opening a can of chickpeas, and whisking together the dressing) makes a whole swath of meals. I plan to eat this for lunch every day this week.

Can I also just say how much I love salads that cover all the different lunch needs in one bowl? I mean, should I list all the stuff again? Because I’ll do it…

Spinach, chickpeas, mangoes…okay, you get the point.

Try this salad. Really. It’s so unique and so healthy and so delicious – and once prepped, can make your lunch life easy for the week, which is an added bonus. Enjoy!

Power Protein Salad with Quinoa, Mango, Cashews, and Chickpeas

• Author: Emily Joldersma, R.H.N. based on original menu item from The Root Cellar
• Recipe Notes: vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, high in fibre, good sources of protein & fibre, packed with deliciousness

What You’ll Need:

• Mangoes – ripe and diced into cubes or slices
• Quinoa – cook 1 cup (or as much or as little as you want) quinoa according to package directions (usually 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water) until light and fluffy.
• Cashews – toast lightly, typically under a broiler in your oven (watch closely!) or in pan on the stovetop.
• Chickpeas – basic regular ol’ garbanzos, rinsed and drained from the can juices
• Baby spinach – washed and ready to go
• Pickled Red Onions: in a glass jar, shake together 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon cane sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt. Add one cup water, and one thinly-sliced red onion. Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or in theory, as long as you want.
• Apple Cider Curry Vinaigrette – in a glass jar, whisk or shake together 3 tablespoons olive oil, 6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or to taste; I like my salad zippy), 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon curry powder.

To Prepare Salad:

On a bed of baby spinach (2 cups or more), scoop 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, 1/2 cup chickpeas, 1/4 cup diced mango, 2 to 3 tablespoons toasted cashews, and 2 to 3 tablespoons pickled red onions. Drizzle with curry dressing and dig in!

© Eat Well, Live Vibrantly