Not to toot my own here but TOOT TOOT! This is an amazing salad! So easy to make and something very different from the type of foods we usually eat. Lots of spices involved but the dressing makes everything come together! Big hit with my family so I made a HUGE bowl of it for lunches too. It stores well in the fridge and makes for amazing lunches during the the week. Did I mention that it is full of fibre, protein and vitamins and minerals and is gluten free and vegan? You really cant go wrong with this filling dish.
I served my salad with a couple of homemade pitas and fresh homemade hummus to my 4 year old who galumphed every last bite! It has a light curry and spice taste that wasn’t too overpowering for my kids (ages 2 and 4). Give this a try. It’s headed to my next potluck for sure!
Moroccan Quinoa and Chickpea Salad
1 cup quinoa
2 cups veggie broth
1 bell pepper
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/2 cucumber
1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained
1/4 cup green onion
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cups slivered almonds
Spice Mixture:
4 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp cloves
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp ginger powder
2 tbsp salt (or more if needed to taste)
2 tbsp black pepper
Dressing:
Juice of 1 lime plus zest
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 cup water or to make it creamy coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the spice mixture together first then divide it in half. Put one half of the mixture in the veggie broth and add to the quinoa to cook. Takes roughly 20 minutes for the quinoa to cook till light and fluffy.
While this is cooking, put the chickpeas in a bag and add in the other half of the spice mixture. I put the chickpeas in still wet from rinsing to get the spices to stick as we try not to eat oils but if you like oils feel free to add the oils to the chickpeas before the spices. Put on a baking pan and spread out. Put into the oven for 20 minutes.
While those two longer parts of the recipe are cooking, add all the rest of the ingredients (other then the dressing mix) together in the bowl and mix. Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing. Once the chickpeas and quinoa are done, add them to the bowl with the veggies and mix in the dressing. Serve warm or chilled.
Seriously…I could not stop eating it…so good….
