Ingredients
Salad:
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
4 cups curly kale, chiffonade
1 medium apple, diced
1/2 cup julienne carrot (sliced with a peeler).
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Maple balsamic dressing (see below)
1 batch crispy chickpeas (see below)
Dressing:
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp good-quality balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup neutral oil (avocado or olive)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
Roasted Chickpeas:
1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
2-3 tsp oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
big pinch sea salt
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss chickpeas with oil (enough to coat), seasoning blend and a generous pinch of salt. Roast in oven for 15 minutes. Toss and cook another 5-10 until crispy. Set aside.
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While chickpeas are cooking, cook quinoa. Cook in a rice cooker with 1 1/2 cups of water or combine quinoa and 1 1/4 cups water in a small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 15 minutes, untouched. Remove cover, stir, let sit a few more minutes if water remains. Fluff and let cool slightly.
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Prepare dressing by whisking all ingredients well and tasting for seasoning. Dressing should taste slightly over-seasoned (it’s going to coat the whole salad!).
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Combine cooked quinoa with kale, apple, carrot and walnuts. Toss with enough dressing to coat well (start with 1/2). Top with crispy chickpeas just before serving.
Delicious salad; the textures and flavors of each element are complementary. I couldn’t hold off munching on the seasoned baked chickpeas. I massaged the dressing into the kale. I use 2:1 water: quinoa to cook mine but really in appreciated your cooking method to leave quinoa in hot water with the cover on the pot. The meal prep you advocate worked really well with this dish because of there are several things to prep for this.
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Elizabeth! And yes, you can totally use the 2:1 ratio on the stovetop, as well if you prefer, it’s totally a texture preference thing! I also love snacking on the chickpeas 😉