Quinoa Greek Salad with Roasted Chickpeas and Tahini Olive Dressing

This salad is perfect for lunch or dinner. It’s full of healthy fresh vegetables — cherry tomatoes, english cucumber and red bell pepper. Topped with seasoned chickpeas and a creamy tahini olive dressing.

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prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes

servings: 2 large salads, or 4 smaller salads

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Ingredients:

SALAD

• About 1 cup of spring mix salad

• 1 cup of cooked quinoa (or I like to use Seeds of Change Quinoa and Brown Rice… they take 90 seconds to cook, and you find them at Costco.. the best!)

• 1 english cucumber diced

• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

• 1 large red bell pepper, sliced

• Feta cheese (to top)

• 4 tbsp freshly chopped mint

• Marinated green olives, artichokes, mushrooms (your preference here)

TAHINI OLIVE DRESSING

• 1/4 cup olive oil + 3 tbsp (to thin out the dressing to your preferred consistency)

• 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives

• 2 cloves garlic

• 3 tbsp tahini

• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar.

ROASTED CHICKPEAS

• 2 cans chickpeas (rinsed and drained)

• 1/4 tsp turmeric

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• 2 tbsp olive oil

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Directions:

1. Start by preheating your oven to 375 F. Layer your chickpeas on a greased baking sheet. It is okay if they are not completely dry. Before adding any of the seasoning, you will want to dry roast these, because that is what will give it all the crunch you want in the salad. Set your timer for 30 minutes.

2. While the chickpeas roast, you can start prepping your other ingredients. Cook your quinoa according to your package instructions. You can also start chopping the cucumber, tomatoes, and bell pepper for your salad.

3. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, paprika, turmeric, salt and pepper for your chickpeas. You can add more salt if you would like, fresh garlic, or some of your favorite herbs. Once the timer goes off, take the chickpeas out, and toss them with these mixture. Make sure they are completely coated, and then put them in the oven for an additional 15 minutes. You want them to be crispy on the outside when they are taken out.

4. Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, olives, garlic, tahini, and vinegar and blend until smooth. Add more olive oil until it reaches your preferred consistency. The dressing should be quite tangy.

5. To assemble your salad, I like to start with the quinoa on the very bottom of the bowl. It can be a little too heavy for the vegetables if you stick it on the top. Next, I layer the fresh greens and kind of move around the bowl for the other ingredients. Add in the cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, and the marinated veggies. Top with generous amounts of chickpeas, dressing and feta cheese. At the very top, layer your fresh mint. Of course this is all relative, because once you start eating it will all be mixed together anyways. Enjoy!