High-Protein Vegan Mediterranean Bowl Quinoa, Chickpeas & Tabouli

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 20-30 minutes

This Mediterranean bowl recipe is a fresh, high-protein vegan recipe inspired by the Lebanese flavors I grew up with. It’s built with fluffy quinoa, seasoned chickpeas, and a bright mock tabouli salad that brings all the herbs, lemon, and classic Mediterranean freshness—without needing to chop an entire bunch of parsley. This dish is topped off with a delicious traditional lemon-tahini dressing.

I love this recipe because it is an easy vegan meal prep that can be a nutrient-dense lunch, but with big flavor! You can prepare this ahead of time and each ingredient can be stored for up to a week, so you can build a delicious lunch or dinner in minutes.

Sometimes our busy lifestyles cause us to sacrifice our health by eating fast food or too much takeout. This easy prep-ahead recipe helps solve that problem. If you love vegan Mediterranean recipes, Lebanese cooking, or high-protein plant-based bowls, this is sure to become a weekly staple!

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

• 1/2 cup good quality tahini (I get my at the local Arabic market and I prefer tahini from Lebanon)

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup water, depending on what consistency you like - I use about 1/3 cup

• 1/2 cup lemon juice

• 1 clove garlic chopped

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

For the Bowl:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa - I like to use a mix of red and white quinoa (see notes and adjustments for how to cook quinoa)

• 1 can chickpeas

• 1 cucumber

• 1 large bunch flat parsley

• 2-3 large tomatoes - get the best tomatoes you can find; this will really make the dish!

• 1 to 2 lemons

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh mint

• salt to taste

• diced scallions - optional for garnish

Instructions

Make the quinoa:

1. Rinse 1 cup of quinoa very well. I like to add it to a strainer, place this over a bowl, and then rinse 3-4 times, draining water from the bowl each time. This is imperative to remove the outer coating of quinoa that can make it taste bitter

2. Add 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water to a saucepan and bring to a simmer uncovered over medium heat.

3. Add in 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt to the cooking water.

4. Lower the heat so the quinoa is at a simmer, not a boil, and cook uncovered until the water is almost all absorbed (about 15-20 minutes).

5. While your quinoa is cooking prepare the other ingredients.

6. Once the water is almost all absorbed, remove from heat, cover the quinoa, and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Make the Chickpeas:

1. Rinse the chickpeas very well, until you don’t see any bubbles.

2. In a bowl combine the following:

   • rinsed chickpeas

   • 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

   • juice of one lemon

   • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

   • 1/2 teaspoon cumin

   • 2 tablespoons olive oil

   • you can add a dash of salt, though I typically don’t

   3. Mix this together very well and let marinate in the refrigerator while you prep the salad part of this recipe.

Make the “Mock Tabouli” Salad:

1. Pick the leaves off the remainder of bunch of flat parsley, then rough chop the parsley - you can also use a food processor on pulse.

2. Cut the tomatoes into quarters or eights and remove the seeds. Then chop them into uniform and small pieces about 1/2 inch big.

3. Peel and chop one cucumber into 1/4 inch pieces

4. If you want to use scallions as a topping, cut off the very bottom (where the roots are) of the scallion then chop the scallions into small thin disks - you can use most of the scallion’s white and green parts. I do not use the very tops! You can also chop these in a food processor using the pulse function.

5. Mix the cucumber, parsley, and tomatoes in a bowl. You can add a small amount of lemon juice if you want - I typically don’t because the dressing and the chickpeas both have lemon in them.

Make the Dressing:

• Add the tahini, lemon, chopped garlic, salt, and water to a blender and blend until creamy.

Put it all together:

• Put equal parts quinoa, “mock tabouli”, and chickpeas on your plate, top with dressing and scallions, and enjoy!

Notes

• The components of this recipe will last 4 to 5 days in a refrigerator in sealed containers. I typically double the recipe and eat it all week for lunch.

• The greek-style chickpeas in this recipe make a delicious topping to any salad!