Chickpea and Quinoa Salad with Lemon and Tahini

Chickpea and Quinoa Salad with Lemon and Tahini

If you are looking for a balanced vegetarian meal that is easy to make but full of flavor, then I recommend this earthy, yet tangy chickpea and quinoa salad that I made the other day when my preference was to curl up on the couch with a fat history book instead of going on an extended culinary journey in the kitchen. You may wish to serve it with this refreshing Miso, Seaweed and Mushroom soup.


Chickpea and Quinoa Salad with Lemon and TahiniChickpea and Quinoa Salad with Lemon and Tahini
Recipe by
Published on June 3, 2009

Simple, nourishing and flavorful chickpea and quinoa salad with a tangy tahini and lemon dressing

Preparation: 10 minutes

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Salad:
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (1/2 cup dried)
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (1/2 cup dried or 1 14 oz can)
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Dressing:
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
  • juice of 1 lemon (3 tablespoons)
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions:
  • Toss the cooked quinoa, chickpeas and parsley together in a salad bowl.

  • For the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour over the salad and toss.

Makes 4 servings

Chickpea and Quinoa Salad with Lemon and Tahini

Other ideas for tahini:
Millet and Brown Rice with Tahini and Tamari
Olive Hummus
Chickpeas and Bechamel Sauce

24 comments:

Preeti Singh said...

Full of protein salad....looks very healthy and different...innovative recipe Lisa.

Red Chillies said...

Even after reading so much about quinoa, I have still not ventured trying anyting with it. I liked this salad idea.
Last weekend, the library had a Book sale and we got a History enclyopedia for paltry $3.

Suparna said...

hi lisa,
looks pleasing, there is a certain freshness to the salad :)

Renus Kitchen said...

have never tried Quinoa....how does it taste??

Ivy said...

This sounds like hoummous with quinoa and I love hoummous.

Parita said...

Healthy and delicious salad...we often get quinoa salads in cafeteria and i quite like them..will try combination when making at home :)

Unknown said...

Wow..Quinoa salad, very refreshing and healthy, innovative recipe.

Garth said...

Interesting! I'll have to give this a shot.

Why soak the quinoa? I've made it a couple of times and the first time I forgot to rinse it (whew, that was a mistake that I haven't made again). But I've never heard of soaking it? Does it change the texture?

Lisa Turner said...

Doobie;

Quinoa contains phytates and enzyme inhibitors that are broken down during the soaking process. The phytates, combined with minerals, are not absorbed in the digestive track. This is also the reason I soak millet, oats and certain other grains.

Renu;

Quinoa has a rather nutty taste. It's light and fluffy and takes on the flavours of what it is cooked with nicely.

Gattina Cheung said...

me neither, haven't tried quinoa... ok, your recipe is super-tempting, got to get a bag tomorrow!

Pooja said...

Protein packed quinoa salad! Have never tried quinoa before! I love ur recipes. Always I get to learn something new from each of your posts!

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

I have just had this salad once sounds so great and the lemon and tahini to the salad sounds so provoking!!!

Soma said...

I have not had Quinoa yet.. but this salad sounds beautiful even if I used anything else..

Lena Jayadev said...

innovative recipe Lisa....Full of protein salad....looks very healthy and different...wonderful snap.. :)

eatme_delicious said...

This looks like the perfect summer dinner! All I've been wanting to eat for dinner recently are cold salads like this.

Johanna GGG said...

I had the same thought as ivy - hummous and quinoa - yum!

lubnakarim06 said...

Oh wow what an finger licking dish,,,,,Looks yum...

Alisa@Foodista said...

Hi Lisa,its my first visit here and this looks like a great twist to make with my favorite hummus ingredients, and lots of great recipes too! Im so glad I found your site. Hope you wont mind,I'd love to guide our readers to your site, just add this foodista widget to this post and it's all set to go, Thanks!

Matt (No Meat Athlete) said...

Looks great. Quinoa is such a nutritious food, which is very important when you're training for endurance sports. Usually it's a little bland for me, but this looks like a great way to spice it up!

FoodShoutOut said...

You have some great recipes on your site and it would be great if you could share them at FoodShoutOut.com
FoodShoutOut.com is a place for people to discover and share great indian recipes from anywhere on the web. From the biggest online destinations to the most obscure blog, FoodShoutOut.com surfaces the best stuff as voted on by users.

Lori Lynn said...

That dressing sounds excellent, I might try it over tofu.

Thanks again for participating in MLLA, the round up will post on Sunday.
LL

Indian Khana said...

Looks gud..myself never tried quinoa...this is very tempting

DK said...

Quinoa has become almost a staple during my quick fix lunches! I am always on a rampage for different recipes. This is perfect. Will make it during the week - thanks Lisa :)

test it comm said...

Nice salad! The lemon and tahini dressing combo really works!