Apple and Cranberry Quinoa with Chickpeas

If you've been reading for a few months, a form of this quinoa may look familiar to you from back in February.  For that meal, we had it as a side dish, but today I changed it up a bit, and added some protein in the form of chickpeas to make it a light meal.  


Apple and Cranberry Quinoa with Chickpeas
adapted from Oh She Glows

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa, washed well

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup diced carrot

2 cups vegetable broth or water

1/4-1/2 tsp kosher salt, to taste

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups diced Granny Smith apple, not peeled (one large apple)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

black pepper, to taste

Directions:


Rinse your quinoa.  Don't skip this step!  For reasons I can't recall right now, it's very important.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in pan over medium heat. 

Add chopped onion and carrots and sauté until the onion is translucent. 

Add broth, quinoa, chickpeas, salt, pepper and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and let sit for 20 minutes or until liquid is gone. 

In the last minute or so (or if it's all done that's ok too), stir in the apple and cranberries.  

Serve hot, cold or room temperature.  I put a scoop over lettuce, sprinkled with sliced almonds and drizzled with balsamic.