MOROCCAN CHICKPEA AND QUINOA SALAD

This weeks Food Matter's Project was hosted by Sara of Simply Whole Kitchen. Sara chose Mark Bittman's recipe for Quinoa Tabbouleh. Mark's recipe inspired me to make this Moroccan Chickpea and Quinoa Salad.

  I used Rainbow Quinoa. You can find it in the bulk bins at Whole Foods. It is actually just a mix of white, red, and black quinoa. Equal parts. I like to mix the quinoa, each type has a slightly different texture so it makes the dish more interesting. The white is the fluffiest and the red and black are more dense. 

The quinoa is cooked and mixed with dried cherries, bell peppers, onions, chickpeas, and cilantro, seasoned with spices of Morocco....ginger, cinnamon, and cumin. The dressing adds another combination of flavors when you whisk together olive oil, rice vinegar, and orange juice.

I served this as a side dish to accompany a Roast Pork Tenderloin with Apricot-Miso Glaze. They were perfect together. This salad is hearty enough for a main course and great as a stuffing for Patty Pan squash.

 For all the Food Project Members creative takes on the recipe click here.
For the original recipe go to Simply Whole Kitchen.

MOROCCAN CHICKPEA AND QUINOA SALAD

 1 C. dried quinoa (I used rainbow quinoa)
1/2 C. dried cherries
1 C. boiling water
5 TBSP. olive oil, divided
1 med. red bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 med. orange bell pepper, sliced thinly
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 can chickpeas drained

1/2 C. chopped fresh cilantro
3 TBSP. rice vinegar, unseasoned
3 TBSP. orange juice

Prepare dried quinoa according to package directions. This is usually 1 cup of quinoa to 1 1/2 C. water. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce heat to low flame and simmer for approximately 15 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Pour cooked quinoa into a large serving bowl and set aside.

While quinoa is simmering, place dried cherries in a small bowl. Add boiling water to just cover cherries and set aside.

While cherries soak heat 2 TBSP. olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers and onions along with the cumin, ginger, cinnamon, salt and pepper; sautéing until tender crisp (about 5 minutes). Add to quinoa along with the chickpeas, cherries and cilantro. At this point I added an additional 1/4 tsp. or so of cumin, ginger, and cinnamon to the quinoa mixture.

Whisk remaining 3 TBSP. of olive oil with vinegar and orange juice. Pour over salad, toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate.

6-8 servings

Recipe from theglutenfreekitchen