This crunchy and refreshing quinoa salad is the perfect summer lunch or dinner. It's gluten free and dairy free, but packed with tons of flavor and protein!
Place the quinoa into a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cool running water. Place the rinsed quinoa into a small pot and add 2 cups of water or broth, plus a pinch of salt. Heat over high heat until the water comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook until the quinoa has absorbed all the water, about 15 minutes.
Toss the cooked quinoa with the chopped basil leaves.
While the quinoa is cooking, grill the chicken. Place a grill pan over high heat. Rub the chicken thighs with the olive oil, then sprinkle each side with salt and pepper. Grill 6-7 minutes per side, or until an instant read thermometer reaches 165* in the thickest part of the chicken. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes while you chop the vegetables, then slice against the grain into ½" slices.
Place ¼ of the cooked quinoa into a salad bowl. Top with ¼ of the tomatoes, peaches, and cucumbers, then ¼ of the grilled chicken. Sprinkle the salad with a tablespoon each of sunflower seeds and hemp seeds, then drizzle with 2 tablespoon sunbutter sauce. Serve immediately.
Notes
If you're making the sunbutter sauce from scratch, you'll only need about half the recipe. Save the other half and use it as a dipping sauce for fresh cut vegetables (or a second round of salads!). It keeps in the fridge for at least 2 weeks.