Jennifer Aniston Protein Salad (Print Version)

Vibrant salad with quinoa, chickpeas, feta, cucumber, herbs, and toasted nuts for a fresh, protein-rich meal.

# Components:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup uncooked quinoa or bulgur
02 - 2 cups water for cooking grains

→ Legumes

03 - 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

→ Vegetables

04 - 1 large cucumber, diced
05 - 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

→ Dairy

06 - 3/4 cup (100 g) crumbled feta cheese

→ Herbs

07 - 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
08 - 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

→ Nuts & Seeds

09 - 1/3 cup pistachios or slivered almonds, toasted and chopped

→ Dressing

10 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
11 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
12 - 1 clove garlic, minced
13 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
14 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

# Preparation Steps:

01 - Rinse quinoa or bulgur thoroughly. In a medium saucepan, combine with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender—about 12 minutes for quinoa or 15 minutes for bulgur. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled grains, chickpeas, diced cucumber, chopped red onion, crumbled feta, parsley, mint, and toasted nuts.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, sea salt, and black pepper until emulsified.
04 - Pour the dressing over the salad mixture and toss gently to coat evenly.
05 - Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's naturally filling enough to be your whole lunch, but doesn't leave you feeling heavy or sluggish.
  • The flavor gets even better the next day, so meal prep becomes genuinely worth your time.
  • You can throw it together in under 30 minutes, which means it's weeknight dinner material without the stress.
02 -
  • Don't dress the salad more than 30 minutes before serving or the cucumber will start releasing water and diluting everything—unless you're okay with it being softer, in which case prep the night before and just give it another toss.
  • Toasting your nuts in a dry pan is non-negotiable if you want them to actually taste like something and not just feel like textureless filler.
  • Fresh lemon juice from an actual lemon tastes completely different from the bottled stuff—it's worth the 30 seconds to squeeze it, I promise.
03 -
  • If you're ever in a rush, you can cook your grains the night before and store them in the fridge—cold quinoa or bulgur tastes just as good and saves you precious time on busy mornings.
  • The secret to a salad that doesn't taste boring is tasting as you go and adjusting seasoning at every step, especially after adding the dressing when flavors can hide or become muted.
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