This Jennifer Aniston Salad Is Filling, Delicious — And You Guessed It! — Healthy

There are so many reasons to love Jennifer Aniston's Salad and it's not just because she is one of our favourite actresses!

1. The salad has all the components of a good meal-sized salad like protein, smart carbs, healthy fats, veggies, and most importantly, a satisfactory factor.
2. It is light, flavorful, and jam-packed with tons of fresh, natural herbs.
3. Quick and easy to whip up, you only need ten ingredients (plus salt + pepper) and one bowl to make the salad.
4. It holds up well in the fridge, so it is the perfect meal pre-prepared recipe. It can be pre-prepared over the weekend and serve as ready-to-go lunch for the entire week.

Ingredients 

1. Quinoa: Instead of bulgur, you can use white quinoa as the base. You can use bulgur wheat or even farro as the grain in this salad. Quinoa is a good source of protein, high in fiber, rich in vitamins and minerals, and naturally gluten-free. It is also a complete protein, which means it has all nine essential amino acids, including lysine, which is a rare find when it comes to plant-based foods.

2. Cucumber:  To add a nice crunch, it is recommended to use mini cucumbers because they do not have large seeds.

3. Fresh parsley: Flat-leaf parsley and curly parsley both work well in this recipe. Make sure your bunch of parsley is washed and dried well before chopping it.

4. Fresh mint: The addition of fresh mint adds so much flavor, and again, make sure your mint is washed and dried before chopping it.

5. Red onion: The perfect way to add a bit of flavor and more crunch. You can use yellow onion if needed.

6. Pistachios: Roasted and salted. This adds some healthy fat and more protein to this salad.

7. Chickpeas: You can use canned chickpeas (otherwise known as garbanzo beans) for ease, but of course, you can totally cook the chickpeas from scratch if desired. Freshly cooked beans are really delicious if you have the time.

8. Feta cheese: This adds some healthy fat and such a good flavor to the salad, so omitting it is not recommended. If needed, you can use vegan feta.

9. Dressing: Instead of an elaborate dressing, you can use lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to add a light and refreshing flavor to the salad.

Preparation:

This salad is super easy to whip up. It's ready in just 3 simple steps:

• To start, cook your quinoa according to the package directions until it has softened.
• Drain out any excess water, if needed.
• Next, combine cooked quinoa, cucumbers, parsley, mint, red onion, pistachios, chickpeas, feta, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Taste and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

The salad keeps well in a fridge for up to 5 days, and tastes better as time passes by and the ingredients have more time to soak up more of the flavors. Just ensure that the leftovers are in an airtight container before placing them in the fridge.

Enjoy!