Quinoa Chickpea Avocado Salad with Black Beans

Step 1

Bring the water to a boil in a small pot. Once boiling, stir in the quinoa, turn the heat to low and cover and cook until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl to cool.

Step 2

Heat your oven to 425 degrees.  Dump the can of chickpeas onto a layer of paper towel and dry them off VERY well, removing any of the thin, papery skins that come off.  Transfer to a bowl.

Step 3

Toss the chickpeas with 1 Tbsp of the olive oil, along with the cumin and smoked paprika and spread onto a large baking sheet with sides, being careful not to crowd them.

Step 4

Put the prepped jalapenos right into the bowl that the chickpeas were in and toss with the remaining 2 tsp of oil.  Place onto the baking sheet with the chickpeas.

Step 5

Roast until the chickpeas are crunchy and the jalapeno is soft and slightly charred, about 30 minutes, stirring half way through the cooking time. Let cool for 10 minutes once cooked.

Step 6

Add the black beans, cilantro and green onions to the bowl with the quinoa, followed by the roasted chickpeas. *

Step 7

Dice the roasted jalapenos and put them in a SMALL food processor (mine is 3 cups) add in the all the remaining dressing ingredients, except the oil, and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides often.

Step 8

With the food processor running, stream in the olive oil until the dressing thickens and is nice and smooth.

Step 9

Pour over the salad and stir until the quinoa is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to overnight, to develop the flavor.

Step 10

Stir in the avocado, season to taste with salt and DEVOUR!