I know what you’re thinking: how are chickpeas and tahini low-FODMAP? Well, like a lot of food on the low-FODMAP diet, it’s all about serving size. Canned, rinsed chickpeas are lo-fo in a serving size of 1/4 cup and tahini 1 tablespoon. So go ahead and enjoy this salad if you know those serving sizes work for you!
I’ve slowly been incorporating chickpeas into my diet and am staring to tolerate them better these days. What works for me is to eat a little every day and very slowly increase the amount. My latest obsession is tahini (sesame seed paste), recently discovering how amazing it is. Tahini can taste quite bitter, so the trick is to combine it with something sweet or to add lemon juice and salt, like I’ve done in this dressing. The dressing is pretty potent on its own, but once mixed into the salad is incredible. I promise you, this salad is so. good.
The inspiration for this salad came from our trip to LA last summer. I thought it was about time to share it, especially since I’ve been kind of missing LA lately. I want to go back and spend more time there! Our hotel’s restaurant had a dish on the menu called “Scarlet Quinoa.” I never got a chance to order it, so I came up with what I thought a dish with that name should include: red quinoa, red tomato, and red pepper. All foods scarlet red, of course. I then decided to put a hummus spin on it with the chickpeas and tahini. I like to make this salad on Sunday and then eat it throughout the week for lunch. It is so satisfying and delicious.
Scarlet Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas and Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 cup red quinoa, rinsed (white quinoa works fine too)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 - 15 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced (green parts only)
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
Dressing:
- 6 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon FODY Garlic Infused Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- water to thin dressing, as needed
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, bring the quinoa, water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat, keep covered and allow to steam another 10 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a spoon and cool completely. You can speed up the cooling process by spreading the quinoa out on a cookie sheet.
- Place the cooled quinoa in a large bowl and add in the tomato, bell pepper, scallions and pine nuts. Toss to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, garlic-infused oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and ground cumin. Add water, a teaspoon at a time, to thin dressing if needed. Pour over the the quinoa mixture and gently toss until the dressing is evenly distributed. Chill and serve on a bed or lettuce or greens if desired.
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