Quinoa and Chickpea Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Lately I seem to be a little obsessed with quinoa.  I know it's trendy now but I wasn't such a fan the first time I tried it a couple of years ago.  Somehow it grew on me, though, and now I'm constantly thinking up new ways to prepare it.  I'll be considering making a salad or a pilaf or some other traditional dish and I'll think to myself - hey, why don't I put some quinoa in there? Oh, well.  Considering how healthy quinoa is, I'm far better off with it than, say, my cheesecake obsession.

Last week I made a batch of tahini sauce, one of my absolute most favorite savory foods.  I like it with lots of lemon and garlic and, ideally, I would just have a big bowl of it and lots of pita bread to scoop it up.  Hmm...not such a good idea, maybe?  I also love dipping cucumber slices into it which is healthier but hardly a meal.  So I decided to add some chickpeas to the cucumbers and tahini and it tasted really good.  And then my quinoa obsessed brain thought - I wonder if quinoa would taste good with this?  Why, yes, yes it does!

Since the chickpeas and tahini are middle eastern flavors, I added some cilantro.  Yes, we think of it as a Mexican herb but it's actually quite common in middle eastern cuisine as well.  But parsley or even chives would be fine as well.  Brian would probably see this as a fine lunch salad but, when I'm on my own for dinner, a big bowl of this suits me just fine.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
Salad:
1/2 Cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions
1 Seedless cucumber, diced
1/2 Cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro

Dressing:
2 Tablespoons sesame paste
3 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste

Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and whisking until thoroughly combined.  Cook the quinoa and allow to cool slightly before adding the chickpeas, cucumber, cilantro and dressing.  Serve at room temperature.  Makes 2 servings.