Quinoa and Chickpeas

I just learned about quinoa and decided to try some, since Dad is having trouble eating all he thinks he needs right now. It seemed kind of expensive - $5.00 for 14 ounces - but I only needed half of it for this recipe. It's available elsewhere and in larger quantities for less - I got mine at the local health food store.

This is actually adapted from two recipes I found online, based on the ingredients I had on hand.

Quinoa and Chickpeas

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1-3/4 cups water

Soak the quinoa for 10 minutes in water to cover. Drain, and rinse very well two more times. Make sure to use a fine strainer as this grain is very small (and did I mention, expensive!). You do NOT want to skip this step and it rinses off a natural coating which is supposedly very bitter.

Bring to a boil in the 1-3/4 cups water. Reduce to a simmer and cover tightly. Simmer for 20 minutes; fluff with a fork.

• 1 cup canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
  
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 zuchinni, chopped
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• 3 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 tomato, chopped
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
  

Once done, stir in the garbanzo beans, garlic, onion and zuchinni. Transfer to a casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in the lime juice, tomatoes, and olive oil. Season with salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley to serve.

The original recipe said don't substitute the lime juice - it makes the dish. I agree! We didn't have quite 3 Tbsp, and I think it would have been better to have the full amount, but it certainly did "make" the dish in my opinion.

Nutty Broccoli Salad

I ran across this recipe the other night looking for something to do with chickpeas. It was really good - reminded me of that broccoli salad that's full of mayo and sugar! Mom and I loved that salad. I think she would have liked this, too. I don't think Dad loved it, but then sometimes he finds raw veggies hard to chew and I think it was more because of that. I used the broccoli slaw to make it easier to chew but it would be cheaper to just use chopped broccoli.

Nutty Broccoli Salad

Serves: 6-8

4 cups	chopped or shredded broccoli
1 can	chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup	raw almonds, chopped
1/4 cup	raisins
1/4 cup	onions, chopped
1/3 cup	oil
1/3 cup	vinegar / lemon juice (I used half each)
3 tbsp	soy sauce

• Mix together broccoli, chickpeas, almonds, raisins and onions.

• In a separate bowl, whisk oil, vinegar and soy sauce.

• Pour dressing over salad.

• Serve.