The Jennifer Aniston Salad
Level
Easy
Time
40 Min
Servings
14
Published March 20, 2023 by Dr. Stephanie Gray, DC
This post may contain affiliate links.
You must try my version of THE JENNIFER ANISTON SALAD!
This salad has gone viral on TikTok. And I see why…it’s amazing! I had to try it myself and I loved it. Made with quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, red onion, pistachios, fresh herbs and feta cheese, this salad is full of flavour. A lemon vinaigrette perfectly finishes the salad bringing all ingredients together. This salad is huge, making it the perfect salad to bring to your next gathering.
Though often classified as a grain, quinoa is actually a seed harvested from a plant related to spinach, beets and swiss chard. It contains all essential amino acids making it a complete protein.
This salad is free from seed oils, gluten free, sugar free. Omit cheese for dairy free option.
Why you will LOVE The Jennifer Aniston Salad!
- This salad is huge! Perfect for your next gathering.
- No refined carbohydrates here
- It’s easy to add a protein to make it a meal
- Visually appealing salad with the cucumber, red onion, fresh herbs, feta
- You will love the salad dressing; so easy to make!
- Gluten free, sugar free, no seed oils, with dairy free option
What equipment do you need?
- large salad bowl
- medium pot or rice cooker
- large salad spoons or tonges
What ingredients do you need?
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cucumber (diced)
- 1 small red onion (diced)
- 1 can chickpeas (liquid drained)
- 1 cup feta (crumbled)
- 1 cup parsley (chopped)
- 1 cup mint (chopped)
- 1 cup pistachios
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 lemons (juiced)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
How do I make The Jennifer Aniston Salad?
It’s Super EASY!
Step 1:
Cook quinoa according to package directions. Should yield about 3.5 cups of cooked quinoa. Let cool.
Step 2:
In a large bowl, add cucumber, chickpeas, red onion, pistachios, parsley, mint, feta cheese.
Step 3:
To make dressing, add olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to a mason jar. Shake to combine. Drizzle evenly over ingredients in bowl.
Step 4:
Using a large spoon or tonges, mix ingredients together.
Serve in individual bowls.
For raw onion haters, it helps to soak your onions in hot water for 30 minutes. This takes the edge off the onion.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions:
- Quinoa- Though often classified as a grain, quinoa is actually a seed. If you’re avoiding quinoa, cooked and cooled cauliflower rice a good substitute.
- Chickpeas– use canned chickpeas for this recipe. You can cook your own in an instant pot from dried if you have the time. Green lentils would be a good substitute.
- Cucumber– cucumber adds a nice crunch. There’s no good substitute for cucumber that I can think of.
- Pistachios– Pistachios work nicely with this salad. Simply omit for nut free. Chopped pecans or walnuts would be appropriate substitutes.
- Red onion -Not everybody loves raw onion. It really is a key ingredient though. For raw onion haters, it helps to soak diced onion in hot water for 20-30 minutes. This truly takes the edge off the onion. It works- try it.
- Feta Cheese– Feta cheese also pairs nicely with all the ingredients. A soft, creamy ingredient is like feta is needed to balance out the textures of the salad. Omit if you’re avoiding dairy or use a dairy free soft cheese.
- Extra virgin olive oil- Olive oil or avocado oil are good choices for the base of the salad dressing. Don’t break my heart by using canola oil or other seed oil as they are pro-inflammatory and terrible for your health.
- Lemon – Fresh lemon juice is best. Use the bottled stuff if necessary. Any light coloured vinegar, like apple cider vinegar or white balsamic vinegar would be good substitutes.
- Dairy free option– omit goat cheese or use dairy free soft cheese
- Nut free option– omit pistachios.
How to Store Leftover Salad
Store leftover salad and dressing separately in an airtight glass containers. Refrigerate. Must be eaten within 5 days.
Do not freeze.
S
Jennifer Aniston Salad
Equipment
- 1 medium pot or rice cooker
- 1 large salad bowl
- large spoon or tongues
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cucumber diced
- 1 small red onion diced
- 1 can chickpeas liquid drained
- 1 cup feta crumbled
- 1 cup parsley chopped
- 1 cup mint chopped
- 1 cup pistachios
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 lemons juiced
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. Should yield about 3.5 cups of cooked quinoa. Let cool.
- In a large bowl, add cucumber, chickpeas, red onion, pistachios, parsley, mint, feta cheese.
- To make dressing, add olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a mason jar. Shake to combine. Drizzle evenly over ingredients in bowl.
- Using a large spoon or tonges, mix ingredients together.
- Serve in individual bowls.
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this recipe? Mention @drstephanieskitchen or #drstephanieskitchen on social media