"Easy Breezy, But Far From Beautiful" Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Quinoa Salad

I love chickpeas. Full of protein, hardy goodness and so versatile; they truly make any salad better. I couldn’t have this blog without a recipe that incorporated them in some way. So after I did my grocery shopping for the week and browsed recipes, I figured I needed to find something that incorporated chickpeas and cauliflower. Why? Because I had a giant floret of cauliflower sitting on my shelf of the refrigerator, and what’s one to do with a giant floret of cauliflower and a can of chickpeas? Jessica’s Dinners, Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Quinoa Salad of course.

Cauliflower waiting to be boiled and blanched

The only thing that would’ve made this recipe better would be red quinoa. Red quinoa would’ve broken up the colour and make the dish look a little more exciting, but just because it isn’t colourful, doesn’t mean it wasn’t flavourful, because oh boy, it was!!

Strained Chickpeas

At the grocery store you can buy rainbow quinoa, which is a mix of red and white quinoa. It looks great and it would be beautiful in this dish.  

I really hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. It’ll be perfect for your vegetation and vegan friends. Eat up!

Finished Product

Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:
½ head of cauliflower, broken into florets
1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and dried well
1 cup of quinoa, cooked
¼ cup chopped mint
¼ cup chopped parsley (I didn’t have parsley but if I did I would’ve loved to use it)
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. cumin
1 chopped garlic clove
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While you prep the cauliflower and chickpeas, bring 2 cups of water and the quinoa to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cover for 15 minutes, or until the quinoa absorbs all the water.  Set aside to cool slightly. Blanch then toss the florets in a small amount of olive oil and put them in the oven.  Spread out evenly on a baking pan and roast in the oven until crispness desired, tossing halfway through. Combine the mint, garlic, pepper, salt, paprika, lemon juice, oil and cumin and pour over the quinoa and chickpeas. Toss the cauliflower in with the rest of your ingredients. Plate and sprinkle with parsley. Add any additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice to taste.