Protien-Packed Garden Salad With Tahini-Dill Dressing

I have been trying to get more plant-based protein in my diet lately without soy, so I’ve been getting creative in the kitchen. This salad was so delicious, plus the ingredients are organic and locally-grown (I live in SoCal).

This salad has approximately 24 grams of plant protein! (1/4 cup chickpeas has 4 grams, 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa has 6 grams, 1/2 avocado has 2 grams, 2 tbsp almonds has 6 grams and 2 tablespoons of tahini has 6 grams of protein)

What you’ll need:

For the tahini-dill dressing (makes 4 servings):

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 lemon
• 4 tbsp water (you may need a little more/less depending on the size of the lemon)
• Dill seasoning (you can find it in the spice section)
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the salad (makes 1 serving):

• 3 cups of your favorite lettuce (I used baby romaine and arugula but feel free to use spinach, baby kale, romaine, etc.)
• 1 small organic tomato
• 2 tbsp chopped white onion
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/4 cup dry quinoa OR 1/3 cup cooked quinoa, chilled
• 1/4 cup chickpeas
• 2 tbsp seasoned almonds (I used Lemon Pepper almonds from Fat Uncle Farms, they are amazing! You can also find various seasoned nuts in the bulk bin section or nut section at Trader Joe’s. They add a great crunch and replace croutons nicely)

To Make:

If you’re using uncooked quinoa, start with that. Cook 1/4 cup quinoa in 1/2 cup water in a small cooking pot, covered, until the quinoa is nice and fluffy (usually around 10 minutes, make sure to stir occasionally). Then put in a glass or ceramic bowl, flatten around the edges and tuck in your freezer for 10 minutes to chill it (do NOT put it in plastic or tupperware when it’s hot!)

For the tahini-dill dressing: Put 1/4 cup tahini in a bowl. Add the juice of 1 whole lemon and 3 tablespoons cold water and wisk with a fork and spoon until the consistency is thin. You want it to have the same consistency as a salad dressing (thin and able to drizzle) so you will probably need to add 1 more tablespoon water. Give a few shakes of dry dill seasoning on top (I did 3), and add a few dashes of salt and pepper to taste.

For the salad- rinse your greens in a salad spinner or lightly pat them dry to remove most of the water. Put in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of tahini-dill dressing. Chop the tomato, onion, half avocado and top on salad. Then top with the quinoa, chickpeas and 2 tbsp seasoned nuts. Enjoy!