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 |
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.