BBQ Chickpea Quinoa Salad

This recipe is adapted from a BBQ Quinoa Salad recipe given to me by my friend Nicole S. No left overs made it in the fridge. It was a "Are you gonna eat that? Cause if not, I'm gonna eat it." kind of meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. cooked quinoa (about 1/2 c. dry)
• 1/2 c. grilled corn (or frozen and cooked)
• 1/2 c. black beans
• 1 can BBQ roasted chickpeas
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 4 Tb BBQ sauce
• 2 scallions, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rinse and drain the chickpeas and pour into a bowl. Add 1 Tb. olive oil and 2 1/2 to 3 Tb BBQ sauce. Mix well. Pour chickpeas on a pan (you can line it with foil for easier clean-up) and roast for 15 min. Stir, then cook 10 min. more.
2. While the chickpeas roast, cook the quinoa. Put the 1/2 c. dry quinoa and 1 c. water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer about 15 min. until quinoa has absorbed all the water.
3. Toss the quinoa, corn, beans, chickpeas, avocado, scallions, and BBQ sauce together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Roasted Chickpeas

The first time I heard of roasted chickpeas was when I found a recipe for Roasted Chickpea Fajitas, which I will definitely be posting soon. Then I needed them again for Cauliflower Power Tacos. And that's when I discovered how delicious these are just as a snack. After several attempts to get the flavoring to my satisfaction I have finally found the perfect combo.

Ingredients:

• 2-15 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 Tb olive oil
• 3 Tb lime juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp chili powder

Directions:

1.  Put chickpeas in a medium bowl. 
2. Combine olive oil, lime juice, salt, cumin, oregano, and chili powder. Pour over chickpeas. Stir till all coated.
3. Pour out on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Then stir and return to the oven for 10 more minutes. If they aren't crispy enough for your liking at this point put them back in for another 5 minutes or so.
4. Cool on pan and enjoy!

Roasted Chickpea and Avocado Salad

Roasted chickpeas add a fabulous bit of crunch to this salad. Roast a batch and you can use it on various salads for the week.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cucumber, sliced
• 1 roma tomato, sliced
• 3-4 large handfuls of chopped romaine lettuce
• 1/4 c. to 1/2 c. roasted chickpeas

Roasted Chickpeas

• 1 can (14.5 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed.
• 1 Tb olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tb lime juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano

Directions:

1. Start by roasting your chickpeas. Mix the olive oil, lime juice, salt, chili powder, cumin, and oregano together. Put chickpeas in a bowl and pour mixture on top. Stir to coat. Then pour the chickpeas onto a pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Stir on pan, then put back in the oven for 10 more min. Stir again, and do 5 more minutes in the oven. Take them out and let cool.
2. Put romaine lettuce in a bowl, and top with the cucumbers, tomato, and roasted chickpeas.