Fresh and full of flavour, this recipe is my favourite go-to summer salad! With lots of cooling ingredients like pomegranate, cilantro and lime, this a great quick and easy meal to beat the summer heat. Quinoa and chickpeas gives this salad some substance so you’ll be left feeling fuller for longer than your typical green salad. Make it for friends and family at your next summer BBQ! It’s also a great lunchbox meal for a picnic in the park or a day in work.
Ayurveda Perspective on Summer Salad
Even though salads are considered to be a ‘healthy’ option, they actually get a bad wrap in Ayurveda! Here’s why – in Ayurveda, it’s not just about what you eat, it’s about what you can digest. Most typical salads are packed tonnes of raw, cold ingredients, and often contain incompatible food combinations – all of which can put a strain on digestion (agni).
So how do you make your salad more Ayurveda friendly? First, make sure your base is a cooked ingredient and serve warm (like quinoa or roast vegetables). Keep your salad simple – don’t load it up with every ingredient you have just because it’s ‘healthy’. Also, add a digestive dressing to your salad! The dressing used in this recipe includes cooling digestives like cilantro and lime – perfect for summer.
What You’ll Need
For the salad:
- Quinoa
- Mixed Greens
- Cilantro
- Chickpeas
- Pomegranate
For the dressing:
- Cilantro
- Hummus
- Olive oil
- Lime juice
If You Love This Summer Salad, Try These Recipes Too!
- Pitta Friendly Blueberry Smoothie
- Simple Green Smoothie with Ginger
- Warm Winter Salad (Sweet Potato, Halloumi & Pomegranate)
- Kitchari – Ayurveda’s Ultimate Superfood
Are You Going to Make This Ayurvedic Summer Salad?
If you make one of my recipes, I would love to know how it turns out! Make sure to leave a review in the comments section below. It means so much to me and helps others find my recipes too!
Also, make sure to follow @ayurvedawithrebecca on Instagram & Pinterest for more healthy, Ayurveda inspired recipes! You can also save this recipe for later by adding it to your recipe board on Pinterest!
Ayurvedic Summer Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 veggie stock cube (optional)
- 3 cups mixed greens (chopped)
- 1 handful cilantro
- 4 cups chickpeas
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
Dressing
- 1 large handful cilantro
- 3/4 cup hummus
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 juiced lime
- water (as needed)
Instructions
- Cook quinoa in a covered pot with 2 cups simmering water for about 15-20 minutes (optional – add veggie stock cube to water for more flavour)
- Leave covered in the pot for another 5-10 minutes and then fluff with a fork
- Meanwhile, make your dressing by combining cilantro, hummus, olive oil and lime juice (add water as needed to reach desired consistency)
- When the quinoa is cooked, portion it out into bowls along with chopped mixed greens, cilantro and chickpeas and toss everything together
- Top with homemade dressing and pomegranate seeds before serving
