This is another one of the recipes that my mom made for me while I was visiting in August. The chickpeas and pine nuts offer a great crunch and nutty flavor, while the vinaigrette has a lovely fresh lemony taste that to me, tastes just like summer. Having said that, this would be great any time of the year.
Notes
- The original recipe is from the July 2011 issue of Style at Home magazine, but my mom substituted quinoa for the couscous and maple syrup for the honey – go mom! I’ve included these modifications below.
- She served it with a side salad instead of including arugula within the salad itself, so I’ve marked it as optional.
- She used dark (red/brown) quinoa, but the lighter variety work look great as well.
Quinoa with Roasted Spiced Chickpeas & Pine Nuts
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Recipe type: Salad, Side
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 540-ml can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more for vinaigrette
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1+1/4 cup water
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1 tsp maple syrup or agave
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 1 bunch arugula, large leaves torn into bite-sized pieces, about 1 cup (optional)
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
Instructions
- Bring water to boil in a medium size pot over high heat. Add the quinoa and reduce to a simmer. Cover with a lid, and cook until quinoa is fully cooked and fluffy.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine chickpeas, 1 tablespoon olive oil, brown sugar, cumin, kosher salt, cinnamon and red pepper flakes in a bowl and toss well. Transfer mixture to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast in oven, shaking pan occasionally, about 20 minutes, until chickpeas are golden brown and crispy.
- In a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine lemon zest and juice, maple syrup (or agave) and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover with lid and shake until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in mint and set aside.
- To serve, toss arugula (if using) and quinoa together with half the vinaigrette and divide evenly among four bowls. Spoon roasted chickpeas over top and garnish with pine nuts. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette, if desired.
Notes
Adapted from “Couscous with roasted spiced chickpeas and pine nuts”, Style at Home Magazine, July 2011
This is soooo up my alley. Yum. I love chickpeas with the quinoa, I guess it’s the extra texture. I prefer the red quinoa, but for whatever crazy reason, I can’t find it here lately. Shortage???
Me too! I have another quinoa+chickpea recipe on the way too, stay tuned! Oh that sucks that you can’t find red quinoa. I really like using it in certain recipes because it looks so beautiful, especially in things like chili. Can you order it online?
Can I please ask you to post some more salad dressings pleeeeeease Ang! I am in a salad dressig rutt and need some inspiration :)
Hey Daina!
Oh you’re too cute. I really do need to post some of my basic vinaigrette recipes… but in the meantime, have you tried my current favorite salad > Fresh Restaurant’s Tangled Thai Salad? You don’t have to worry about all the salad ingredients – just make the dressing and put it on anything. It has a few ingredients but it’s so totally worth it!
ooh – had seen the salad, but not the dressing – that’s a LOT of ingredients – i will leave it until after i’ve done the grocery shopping on the weekend as i dont have a lot of those ingredients anymore but you’re review sounds pretty convinving it should taste good, so i’ll give it a whirl :)
I just found your blog tonight and have already spent an obscene amount of time bookmarking recipes. This one seriously made my mouth drop open! I have to make this asap! Your photos are incredible!
Hi Renae – Thank you so much for those kind words. You have no idea how happy that makes me! This recipe is soooo good. Especially if you love the smell/taste of fresh lemons. You’ve reminded me to make it again! Please let me know when you do – and anything else you try on the site :)
I started to change my eating habits 2 weeks ago. After watching Forks Over Knives and reading halfway through the China Study, I decided to eat Vegan most of the week (vegetarian otherwise and meat 1-2 times a week if I crave it). I find myself not craving meat anymore, but I was looking for some good recipes to compliment my stir frys. I am a fairly accomplished home chef and I enjoy a variety of cuisine. I must say this recipe met my expectations in spades. I look forward to trying as many things from the site as possible. Please keep the recipes coming. This was delicious.
Congratulations on your decision to eat a more plant-based diet! Glad to hear you liked this recipe. I’ve been so busy with work and social commitments this year, and I know I haven’t posted a lot of new recipes. Hoping I get some time over the next few months to do so… Thanks for writing and keep in touch!
This was absolutely delicious. My meat mad husband didn’t even ask about where the meat was when I served it. Thank you.
Wow, that’s great to hear! I haven’t made this in a while… must make it again soon!