- Calories
- 520
- Protein
- 22g
- Fiber
- 14g
- Sat. fat
- 3g
- Sodium
- 480mg
- Added sugar
- 0g
What this recipe does for you.
Crisped spiced chickpeas over quinoa with a tahini-lemon sauce and quick-pickled onion. 22g plant protein, 14g fiber, 30 minutes, no animal products.
Why this works
Every recipe on this site ships with an explanation of the technique decisions, why sear then braise, why the acid goes in at the end, why the fat renders before the aromatics. The method below is those decisions, in order.
Soom or Seed + Mill tahini
Cheap tahini is bitter and seizes into cement when you add lemon. A good single-origin tahini (Soom is the easy US buy) stays pourable, tastes nutty not bitter, and turns into a silky sauce with just lemon, water, and salt. On a plant bowl, the sauce is most of the pleasure, so this is where to spend.
Ingredients
Serves 2- 1 canchickpeas · drained, dried
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tspground coriander
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- 1/2 tspground turmeric
- 1/2 tspgarlic powder
- 3 tbsptahini · Soom
- 1/2lemon · juiced
- 1garlic clove · grated
- 1/2red onion · sliced thin, quick-pickled
- 1cucumber · diced
- 1 cupcooked quinoa
- 1 handfulfresh parsley · chopped
- kosher salt · to taste
Method
Dry the chickpeas before they ever hit heat
A can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and rolled dry in a tea towel. Wet chickpeas steam and stay soft. Dry ones crisp. This 60-second step is the difference between a good bowl and a mushy one.
Roast hot with the shawarma spices
Toss with olive oil, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric, garlic powder, and salt. Roast at 425F for 20 minutes, shaking once, until the edges crackle. Or pan-fry in a hot skillet for 10 minutes if the oven is busy.
Tahini-lemon sauce, loosened with water
Three tablespoons tahini, juice of half a lemon, a small grated garlic clove, salt, then cold water a tablespoon at a time. It will seize, then loosen, keep whisking and adding water until it pours. Counterintuitive but reliable.
Quick-pickle the onion while things roast
Half a red onion sliced thin, covered in lemon juice and a pinch of salt, left 15 minutes. It goes pink, soft, and sharp, the acid the bowl needs. No cooking, no vinegar required.
Build on quinoa, finish with herbs
Cooked quinoa as the base (it adds 8g protein and makes it gluten-free), then chickpeas, pickled onion, cucumber, a big spoon of sauce, and parsley. The herbs are not garnish here, they are a quarter of the flavor.
Variations
Substitutions and adaptations land with the photography shoot. The method holds across most reasonable swaps.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 to 4 days, sealed. Freezer: up to 3 months. Reheat covered to retain moisture.
Frequently asked
- Is 22g of protein enough from plants?
- For a lunch, yes. Chickpeas give about 12g, quinoa about 8g, tahini the rest. To push toward 30g, stir in a scoop of hemp seeds or add a side of edamame. The bowl is built to stack more protein easily.
- How do I keep it for meal prep?
- Components separate: roasted chickpeas in an open container (sealed, they go soft), quinoa and pickled onion together, sauce in a jar. Assemble at the desk. Three to four days. Re-crisp the chickpeas in a hot pan if you want the crunch back.
- Can I make it grain-free?
- Yes, swap the quinoa for a bed of greens or cauliflower rice. It stays vegan and drops the carbs, though you lose the quinoa's protein, so add hemp or extra chickpeas to compensate.
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