Honey & Lime Quinoa Salad Bowl with Spicy BBQ Chickpeas

Today’s recipe is from my gal pal across the ocean in Jamaica, Jessica from Jessiker Bakes! Jessica, as you can tell from her blog name, loves to bake and we had an instant connection over our love for baking, TV shows and ridiculously insane procrastination skills when it came to studying. Like how I found out late one night that she had never tasted butterscotch before and had to describe what it tasted like instead of making a presentation due the next day. Eventually I just mailed it to her because one cannot go through life without experiencing the wonders of butterscotch. Today she is sharing a delicious savory recipe with you guys because she loves making healthy dishes as well as decadent cupcakes and brownies.

Hi I’m Jessica from Jessiker Bakes! I’m so happy to be guest-blogging on Zainab’s blog and since I met this chick we haven’t stopped chatting whether about food blogs, dessert or our equal obsession with Suits and House of Cards! As you probably know, Zainab’s blog is mainly a dessert blog but she has been integrating the delicious savoury food that she eats also. I thought this Honey & Lime Quinoa Bowl with Spicy BBQ Chickpeas was a great addition because it is an insanely delicious bowl meal that can actually be easily made vegan. It’s also gluten-free and basically, perfect for any lunch or dinner that you’re preparing.

I thought about this recipe during my quinoa obsessed days (they still haven’t passed) and was looking for a slightly new way to enjoy my already favourite grain. The honey and lime came from a random combination in my mind that ended up in a slightly sticky sweet and sour combination that you’ll fall in love with that will replace any fried rice. Naturally, avocados will always have a place in any bowl food and the tomatoes were for a pop of colour and plus, they’re my one of my favourite fruits/vegetables (has anyone decided on which one it is yet?). If you’re not a tomato fanatic you can swap this for red bell peppers or anything else you desire. I particularly loved the colour variation and have been told that the brighter your food, the more you’ll enjoy it. That might explain my love for any dessert covered in sprinkles, hmm.

The BBQ chickpeas became an obsession after trying this experiment. All you have to do is simply heat the already cooked chickpea in your own homemade barbecue sauce or a store-bought version, and you get sticky, spicy and smokey covered chickpeas. You are going to LOVE these chickpeas. After trying this meal, I had it everyday for an entire week, mainly for the chickpeas and the quinoa. I think you will definitely love how everything comes together, so you have delicious quinoa and bbq chickpeas in one bite, avocado and bbq chickpeas in another bite…it goes on and on. The best part? This meal is pretty good for you. You’re getting a chuck load of nutrients from the quinoa namely tons of protein, magnesium, fibre and so much more than I can list, delicious healthy fats from the avocado and chickpeas are present to help you get a healthy heart plus even more protein and fibre! Whoa, I don’t know about you, but I’m gearing to eat this again just for the taste…I mean the benefits! Don’t you love when the food you eat has such great positive side effects?

This meal comes together pretty quickly. You can enjoy this entire meal in 30 minutes, and that’s with enough time to set up in front of the television, turn on your favourite show and then start eating. I really hope you enjoy this meal and come back for seconds!

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Yield: 2 bowls

Honey & Lime Quinoa Salad Bowl with Spicy BBQ Chickpeas

This Honey and Lime Quinoa Salad Bowl with Spicy BBQ Chickpeas comes together on 30 minutes and is packed with delicious flavor!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cups vegetable/chicken broth
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ cup chickpeas, cooked
• ¼ cup barbecue sauce (homemade or store-bought)
• 2 ½ cups shredded lettuce, washed
• ½ an avocado, sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
• 1 medium tomato, chopped

Instructions

1. Wash the quinoa in a mesh strainer rigorously with water.
2. In a pan over medium high heat, add 2 teaspoons olive oil. Dry the quinoa by adding it to the
3. pan and letting it heat up for about 2 minutes.
4. Add the broth to the pan and the salt. Stir, and bring to a boil.
5. Lower to medium-low heat and cover, cooking for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When all of
6. the water has been absorbed, the quinoa is finishing cooking.
7. Use your fork to fluff the quinoa a bit.
8. Slice the lime and squeeze over the quinoa, and add the honey, stirring with a wooden spoon
9. until combined.
10. You will only need ½ cup for one serving.

BBQ Chickpeas

1. In a small pot over medium heat, place the chickpeas and 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce.
2. Heat for about 5 minutes until warm and the sauce becomes sticky and coats the chickpeas.
3. Remove from the heat and coat with the remaining barbecue sauce. If desired, you can add
4. more barbecue sauce.

Putting the Bowl Together

1. Place the lettuce at the bottom of the bowl. Arrange the rest of the ingredients in the bowl in their
2. own corners, ½ cup quinoa in one, then bbq chickpeas, the tomatoes and the avocados.
3. Sprinkle with the chopped scallions. Enjoy!

Notes

VEGAN - This recipe can become vegan by using agave nectar instead of the honey, using a vegan barbecue sauce (most are) and a vegetable broth.

Making this Recipe?

Share it with us on Instagram using #aclassictwist so we can see what you are baking up in your kitchen!

Thank you Jessica for this wonderful lunch bowl!! So many flavors are marinating together here that it is making my mouth water and making me forget it is one healthy lunch bowl. Power lunch, I see what you did there 🙂

Here’s how you can keep in touch with Jessica and get more of her delicious creations. She is on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Of course you can always check out her blog, Jessiker Bakes where she cooks and bakes daily!!