Chickpea Smashed Cucumber Quinoa Bowls with Satay Sauce (Vegan)
This flavourful Chickpea Smashed Cucumber Quinoa Bowls with Satay Sauce is packed with colour, fibre, protein and is so easy to make. It’s great for meal prep and for plant-based, gluten-free lunchboxes.
I love anything with a satay sauce and these quinoa bowls are the first appearance in my new grain bowls mini-series. I will share 5 recipes (one every day this week) using different grains, minimal fuss and maximum flavour. All of these recipes will be ideal for meal prep, for bring to the office for lunch or for having a quick and satisfying dinner in. This one is a great recipe to kickstart the week as it features a few of my favourite things: smashed cucumber; satay sauce; pickled cabbage; and crunch!
Why will I love these bowls?
These bowls are so good:
- Nourishing, wholesome and packed with flavour
- Vibrant, fresh and crunchy
- Requires minimal cooking
- You can even use pre-cooked quinoa to make it easier
- High in fibre from veggies and grains
- Chickpeas are a great source of protein and fibre
- Quinoa is a complete protein
- Naturally gluten-free
- With nut-free options
- Make a nut-free satay with tahini
- Plant-based, egg-free and dairy-free
- Easy to make in a few steps
- Great for meal prep
- Bring to work for lunch
- A delicious speedy dinner
- Ready in 25 minutes or less
- Packed with different vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
If you already love the sound of these bowls, then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
You can see the ingredients with weights in the recipe card below and see my favourite and recommended products in the “shop the recipe” section.
For the bowls:
- Mixed quinoa: I use either pre-cooked pouches from Merchant Gourmet or cook my own.
- Carrot: great for skin as it’s high in vitamins.
- Red cabbage: or white if you don’t have any. It’s great for crunch and antioxidants.
- Rice vinegar: to add tang to the pickles.
- Cucumber: this is so good smashed to add more texture and crunch.
- Sesame seeds: black and white.
- Chickpeas: I use the plump queen chickpeas from Bold Bean, and you can also swap this for another protein like tofu cubes, tempeh or butterbeans.
- Avocado: to add creaminess.
- Fresh mint: or coriander works really well too.
- Pickled red onions: I use homemade ones like in this recipe or use shop-bought too.
And for the sauce:
- Peanut butter: make sure it’s 100% peanuts and is runny and smooth.
- Tamari soy sauce: this is rich with umami.
- Sesame oil: for richness.
- Rice vinegar: as above.
- Honey or maple syrup: to sweeten the mix.
- Lime: for a lovely tang.
- Salt and pepper: to season.
Are these bowls gluten-free and nut-free?
These are naturally gluten-free as long as you use GF tamari soy sauce (regular soy sauce contains wheat) and to make it nut-free use tahini instead of peanut butter.
How do I make them?
These bowls are ready in a few steps:
- Cook the quinoa: about 13 minutes.
- Smash the cucumber with a rolling pin: and roughly chop up.
- Toss the cucumber with sesame seeds: before serving.
- Peel or shred the carrot and cabbage: and massage with some rice vinegar and salt.
- Chop the avocado: and prepare the other components.
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients: and season to taste.
- Plate up everything together: and pour over the satay sauce.
How long will they last?
These bowls will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge in a sealed container.
What other recipes can I try?
For more 30-minute meals:
- Tomato Broccoli and Beans Pesto Pasta Salad
- Veggie Fried Rice with Glazed Tofu and Peanut Satay
- Gochujang Tofu Rice Bowls
- Miso Tofu Smashed Cucumber Tahini Noodles
- Lemon Herb Tofu Tzatziki Bowls
Chickpea Smashed Cucumber Quinoa Bowls with Satay Sauce (Vegan)
This flavourful Chickpea Smashed Cucumber Quinoa Bowls with Satay Sauce is packed with colour, fibre, protein and is so easy to make. It’s great for meal prep and for plant-based, gluten-free lunchboxes.
Ingredients
For the Bowls:
- 120g white and black/red quinoa (uncooked weight)
- 1 large carrot, peeled or ribboned
- 80g red cabbage, shredded
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 small cucumber
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds, plus extra
- 1 tin chickpeas, 240g drained weight
- 1 avocado, sliced
- Fresh mint or coriander
- 2 tbsp pickled red onions
- 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
For the Satay Sauce:
- 2 heaped tbsp runny smooth peanut butter
- 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ½ tbsp rice vinegar
- ½ tbsp honey or maple syrup
- ½ lime, juiced
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to packet instructions (usually 13 minutes) and leave to one side.
- For the pickled salad, add the ribboned carrot and shredded red cabbage to a bowl with the rice vinegar and a pinch of salt and massage quickly with your hands to soften the vegetables.
- Place the cucumber on a chopping board and using a rolling pin (or similar) smash the cucumber and then roughly chopped into chunks. Add to a sieve and allow the excess water to drip off for 10 minutes (while the quinoa cooks). Then toss with the sesame seeds.
- Drain the chickpeas and rinse them. Slice the avocado.
- Make the satay sauce by adding the ingredients to a bowl and whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.
- To plate up, add the quinoa to two bowls and then add on the pickled carrot and cabbage, the sesame cucumber, avocado and chickpeas. Add on some fresh herbs and pickled red onions and pour over the sauce.
- Garnish with more sesame seeds and enjoy straight away. Or, keep in a sealed container for 2-3 days in the fridge.
Shop the recipe
Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of these Chickpea Smashed Cucumber Quinoa Bowls with Satay Sauce so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make these, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest so please say hello!
With satay love x
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