Jennifer Aniston Salad
The viral Tiktok recipe, Jennifer Aniston Salad, is perfect for meal prep and a hearty lunch that will keep you full. Plenty of flavor, a homemade dressing, and an easy to follow recipe make this salad the perfect choice for your family.
Servings: 6
Calories: 515kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup quinoa
- 16 ounces chickpeas, rinsed and drained (also known as garbanzo beans)
- 1 cup cucumber, small diced (english or hot house cucumbers used)
- ¾ red onion, small diced
- ¾ cup shelled & roasted pistachio nuts, chopped
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- ⅓ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ⅓ cup olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- To a medium sized (2-3 quart) saucepan bring the vegetable stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and stir. Add the lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook quinoa for 15 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Allow the quinoa to sit undisturbed, with the lid still on the saucepan, for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Transfer the fluffed quinoa to a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, up to overnight, or until the quinoa is completely chilled.
- Once the quinoa has chilled, add t large bowl the chickpeas, diced cucumber, diced red onion, pistachio nuts, feta cheese crumbles, fresh parsley and fresh mint. Set aside.
- To a small lidded jar, such as a pint size mason jar, add the fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, honey, salt and black pepper. Add the lid to the jar and shake well to fully combine, and emulsify, all the ingredients to create a light dressing for the salad.
- Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and gently toss to combine all the ingredients of the Jennifer Aniston salad. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.
Notes
- Before cooking, rinse the quinoa under cold water using a fine mesh strainer. This helps remove the natural coating called saponin, which can make the quinoa taste bitter.
- If you're short on time, spread the cooked quinoa out on a baking sheet to cool more quickly. This helps it reach room temperature faster before refrigerating.
- It might be tempting to skip refrigerating the quinoa, but we don't recommend it. It gives the quinoa the proper texture, and also ensures your vegetables don't end up soggy.
- When dicing the cucumber and red onion, try to keep the pieces uniform in size. This ensures even distribution and texture throughout the salad.
- To prevent bruising the fresh herbs, chop them gently using a sharp knife. We don't recommend using your hands a food processor, as it can make the herbs watery and less flavorful.
- After tossing the salad with the dressing, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Like all great salads, make sure you love the flavor!
Nutrition
Calories: 515kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 802mg | Potassium: 645mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 653IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 206mg | Iron: 5mg