Quinoa, chickpea & squash seed extravaganza

After adventures with kabocha , I had a big bowl of squash seeds on my hands. I hate to throw out anything edible (I have been known to eat orange peel…candied), but I was sick of roasted seeds, which taste like Halloween to me.

So I started playing. If you’d like to do the same (leave room for improvisation),  here’s what you’ll need:

The seeds of 1 squash or pumpkin, roasted

3/4 cups of uncooked quinoa

1 can or 2 cups of chick peas

2 carrots

2 yellow onions

1 lemon

Olive oil

Some parsley, to taste

I first placed the seeds in the oven (coat them in olive oil, 30 minutes, 325 degrees).

I chopped up some yellow onions and sauteed them, added some thinly chopped carrots in the pan. On the side, I cut some parsley and lemon.

I tried to pair the crunchiness of the squash seeds with a similarly crunchy grain. Quinoa was a great match–it has a nutty, tough taste that complements the roasted seed. 3/4 cup of quinoa seeds to 1 1/2  cups of water–mix them together, bring to a boil, and then let simmer for 20 minutes. The quinoa should absorb all the water and become soft and fluffy. 

 Once the quinoa was finished, I tossed it in the pan for a minute with the carrots and onion.

Lemon juice, parsley, and roasted seeds were mixed in. It was probably enough for 3 people, but I was serving the dish to 6. I dug out a can of chick peas, and mixed it in–then stuck the bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes.  It turned out really well! The chickpeas’ smooth texture went well with the crunchiness of the squash seeds.

One more thing….it might seem stupid to put this on a food blog (let’s bake away hunger! how to throw a great dinner party (and save the children!) )–but this is important.

If you have a few extra bucks, think about making a donation to Partners In Health’s Haiti fund . You can also text “HAITI” to 90999 to give 10 dollars to American Red Cross relief. Thanks!