Chickpea Quinoa Salad

Once you make salad dressing at home, it is hard to go back to ready-made dressing. This bright and flavorful lemon basil dressing taught me that.
I am very surprised that it took me this long to share this recipe. This is my first salad ever and now it has evolved to one of our regular weekday meal. It is pretty straight forward, yet so tasty.

Oh … by the way this week is National Parks Week. I love visiting national parks: looking for hiking trails, attending guided tour by park rangers, visiting souvenir shop(I collect shot glasses), going for star-gazing.

Back to the recipe.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup raw quinoa
2. 2 cups water
3. 2 broccoli heads, chopped
4. 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
5. 1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
6. 1/3 cup pitted and halved olives
7. 2 tablespoons cooking oil
8. salt and pepper to taste

Lemon Basil Dressing

1. 1/3 – 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2. 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3. 1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves
4. 1 medium garlic clove, chopped
5. 1-2 teaspoons honey
6. 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 F.
2. Place 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Once hot place quinoa in the pot and stir for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Slowly pour in the water and stir occasionally. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to simmer and cover with a tight fitting lid. Simmer for 15-18 minutes until water is absorbed.
4. Keep the quinoa at a constant simmer but do not stir or uncover while cooking. Remove from the heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Cover to keep hot.
5. While quinoa cooks toss broccoli with 1 tablespoon of oil and a few pinches of salt and pepper on a large baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
6. Add garbanzo beans to the broccoli pan in the last 5-7 minutes of roasting to warm.
7. While the quinoa and broccoli are cooking place all dressing ingredients in your blender, starting with 1/3 cup olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Blend until fully combined.
8. Taste and add more olive oil 1 tablespoon at a time if it’s too acidic. Add more salt and pepper if desired. Shake well before using.
9. Combine quinoa, roasted broccoli, garbanzo beans, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add desired amount of dressing and toss to coat. Serve with a slice of garlic bread.