February 23, 2017

Falafel Spiced Quinoa Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

The SEA SALT Bowls, By Ingredient, Chickpea Recipes, Quinoa Recipes, Recipes, Salads, Sides cilantro, Falafel Spiced Quinoa Salad with Crispy Chickpeas, parsley, Recipe, side, The Sea Salt, vegan, vegetarian 1 Comment

 

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good falafel as much as the next person, but….

What if I told you that you could eat a whole bowl of falafel delicous-ness without having to go through the work of actually making the dough and frying them up (risking them disintegrating in the oil… we’ve all been there).

This salad is literally made of all the things make a falafel delicious, plus quinoa. And it tastes just like a big falafel.

Perfect for desk lunches, this salad will keep for a few days and is packed with super fresh herbs and topped with crispy little chickpea nuggets. 

Have fun!

---

 

Falafel Spiced Quinoa Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups uncooked quinoa, cooked (still warm)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil plus more to drizzle on chickpeas
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 clove garlic really finely minced or grated on a microplane
• 1 tsp kosher salt plus more to sprinkle on chickpeas
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• juice of one lemon
• 1 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 3 finely chopped scallions
• 1 english cucumber, chopped
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• fresh ground black pepper

directions:

1. Heat oven to 400

2. Cook quinoa (I use the rice cooker- works like a charm).

3. Set out drained and rinsed chickpeas to dry on a clean towel.

 

4. While quinoa is cooking, whisk together cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne and olive oil in large bowl.   

5. When quinoa is done, add to dressing and mix together. Let sit out until at room temperature and then let cool completely in the fridge.

 

6. Meanwhile, cook chickpeas. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out chickpeas. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Shake them around a little so they are covered in oil and seasoning. Use about 1 Tbsp oil or so.

 

7. Bake for 10 mins and then shake pan. Bake another 10 minutes or until they are crispy but not burned, shaking pan as needed.

8. When quinoa is cool, add in lemon juice, cucumber and fresh herbs. Stir to combine and adjust with more salt if needed.

 

9. Serve with chickpeas on top.

Yum