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Chickpea and Quinoa Salad with Avocado, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Lemon Tahini Dressing

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Chickpea and quinoa salad.jpg

Serves 2

Chickpeas and quinoa have been the stars of a lot of my salads these days. They’re both great sources of plant-based protein and have lots of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.  Just toss them with lettuces, pumpkin seeds, fresh herbs, and a simple lemon tahini dressing and you have a deliciously nutritious, anti-inflammatory, auto-immune boosting beautiful meal that’s really simple to throw together!  This salad can easily be doubled or tripled for leftovers too.

Ingredients:

Salad:

·       1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

·       1 cup quinoa, rinsed

·       2 cups vegetable broth

·       ¼ cup chopped scallions

·       ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

·       ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

·       1 can hearts of palm, sliced

·       3-4 cups chopped mixed field greens

·       Juice of 1 lemon

·       ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds

·       1 avocado, diced

·       1 tsp. sea salt

·       Freshly ground pepper to taste

Lemon Tahini Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup tahini (ground sesame seeds)

  • 1 medium lemon, juiced

  • ¼ tsp. garlic powder

  • 1 tsp. sea salt

  • ½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

  • Up to 1/4 cup water

Preparation:

  • Rinse and drain the quinoa.  Add rinsed quinoa, 1/4 tsp. salt, and vegetable broth to a small saucepan and bring to boil over high heat.  Turn heat down to low, cover, and simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes, until liquid is dissolved.  Set aside and let cool.

  • Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Toss pumpkin seeds with a little olive oil, spread them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and sprinkle with a little sea salt.  Bake for about 5 minutes until lightly toasted and remove from the oven.

To Prepare the Tahini Dressing:

-       In a bowl add the tahini, salt, pepper, and lemon.  Whisk until thoroughly blended.

-       Add water 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth.  By 6-8 tablespoons dressing should be perfectly creamy and smooth. 

-       Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

 

  • In a large bowl combine the chickpeas, lettuce, parsley, scallions, cilantro, avocado, pumpkin seeds, and quinoa.  Add the juice of one lemon and then drizzle the tahini dressing over the salad and toss to combine.  Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

  • Serve immediately and enjoy!

  • Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.