Total Request (not-so) Live Friday: Quinoa, Chickpea, Chicken, and Grape Salad

Good morning and happy Friday! (*Does happy dance*)

As always, I'm incredibly glad that the weekend is almost here - this week went by quickly, which I always appreciate. :)  Does anyone have big plans for the weekend? 

Last Friday I posted a recipe to follow up on last week's What I Ate Wednesday post - and, since you awesome folks liked the looks of the quinoa, chickpea, and chicken salad I posted for this week's WIAW, I figured I'd do another Total Request (not so) Live post.

It's not exactly live, and I'm definitely not Carson Daly, but that's beside the point!

What I like about this recipe is that it's versatile and easy to throw together -- and it makes a freakin' enormous bowl of salad, so you can take the leftovers to work for lunch or have them on hand as a pre-made healthy dinner.  I'm a huge fan of leftovers, simply because they make life a lot easier when I'm pressed for time!

For those who are vegetarian or vegan, it's also easy to omit the chicken and make this a purely plant-based salad.  The quinoa and chickpeas are filled with protein, fiber, and all kinds of fabulous nutrients.

Quinoa, Chickpea, Chicken, and Grape Salad:

Ingredients:
2 cups organic red grapes, washed and sliced in half
2 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cup basil, sliced thin
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 tbsp. Annie's Dipping Oil - Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar
Garlic powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
(Optional) Chopped walnuts
(Optional) 2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
(Optional) 1/4 onion, diced into small pieces

Side note: The Annie's dipping oil is the key ingredient - I definitely recommend this over regular olive oil and balsamic! 

This stuff is the bomb-diggity. Have I mentioned my affinity for outdated slang phrases?

 Instructions: Combine all the above ingredients into a large bowl, stir 'em up until they're well-mixed, and serve over the lettuce of your choice.  (Like I said, it's easy to throw together!)

Hope you all have an awesome Friday! :)