Garlicky Green Garbanzo Salad AND THE GIVEAWAY WINNER!! Recipe
Garlic Green Garbanzo Salad AND THE GIVEAWAY WINNER!!
First of all, thank you to all of my lovely readers for participating in my first giveaway! I am truly honored that y'all like my kitchen musings enough to come back and read regularly. I appreciate you! So... via random number selection, we do have a winner of the fantastic $40 CSN gift card!
The lucky number drawn was 19 and I am so pleased to announce that the 19th comment was Amber over at Almost Vegan! Congratulations Amber! I hope you get your juicer and post all kinds of lovely juicing ideas; I'll be keeping my eye out :)
Side note, Amber's blog rocks! She has the same eating 'philosophy' that I do and she is super duper creative in the kitchen. When I first visited her blog I loved all of her posts and when I read her 'about me' I said "yes!! That is what I mean!" I encourage you to check out her great work!
Ok, on with the food... yes, I am in serious salad mode lately. What can be better than a hearty salad? It's healthy, filling and the possibilities are endless!
Yesterday was Honey's birthday and we went out to dinner at the Prospect Street Cafe (more to come on that amazingness). I indulged in a little red wine which, in the ten years since I turned 21, I have learned is not the best choice ever. Red wine plus empty stomach plus chronic migraines equals no. This salad was my delicious attempt at lunch today. I may not have finished all my to-dos but I did make a kick booty lunch... success!
I love this salad though, it's garlicky and tangy, filling and healthy. The quinoa and green garbanzos give it a lot of filling protein too so you won't be hungry in an hour.
Need:
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups green garbanzo beans (you can find these at Costco in the frozen section)
- 3 vine ripened tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup basil, julienned
- Shaved almonds for garnish
- For the dressing:
- 3 small garlic cloves, smashed or chopped
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper
Do:
In a pot, heat the water and cook quinoa per package instructions.
While your quinoa is cooking, combine all dressing ingredients into a shakeable container like a mason jar. Seal and shake the heck out of it.... do you ever get sick of reading me say that?
When your quinoa is done, transfer it into a low container to cool off.
In the same pot you cooked your quinoa, steam the green garbanzos until they are al dente... about 5 minutes.
Chop your red onion, tomatoes and basil and put them into a bowl.
When the quinoa is fairly cool, add it to the bowl with the veg and combine lightly then add some of your dressing. Don't start off with all of it; pour some on, toss and taste. If you feel like it needs more, add it.
When the green garbanzos are done, let them cool a bit then add them into the salad. Mix to combine and double check you have enough dressing. If not, add a little more and mix lightly.
Serve:
On a plate, pile a nice portion then garnish with the shaved almonds. Then you get to eat it and enjoy it! You can also take this salad with you to a potluck; it travels really well and shows beautifully.
Enjoy!