Twining Herbal Revive

I’ve been thinking about this dish all day. I couldn’t wait to share it with you all – it’s just that good. I actually prepared it last night for dinner and was going to post the photo I took but at the last minute decided to wait and take a post-worthy photo today when I ate the leftovers for lunch. It was worth the wait because now the photo quality matches the deliciousness.

It’s Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad with Tahini but I can’t take credit for creating the recipe because I actually got it from Orangette who adapted it from a Casa Moro . She posted about it long ago and I recently added it to my list of recipes to make by using Springpadit. BTW I am loving springpad. Just having the recipes I want to try in one place, rather than in word docs all over my desktop, makes it that much easier to actually use them.

Although I don’t know that I would call this dish a salad, it’s amazing- I’ve eaten it for 3 out of my last 5 meals. And don’t just listen to me, other bloggers have had great success with it as well. I followed the recipe almost exactly but made a few tiny changes- I didn’t have cilantro on hand so I subbed in parsley and added stevia to the tahini dressing because it was a tad bitter from the lemon juice. Lastly, I served the “salad” over brown rice.

No more chitter chatter, here’s the recipe.

Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad with Tahini

For salad:
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 to 2 ½ lb.), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
1 medium garlic clove, pressed
½ tsp. ground allspice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¼ of a medium red onion, finely chopped
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves

For tahini sauce:
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced with a pinch of salt
3 ½ Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. well-stirred tahini
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, combine the butternut squash, garlic, allspice, olive oil, and a good pinch or two of salt. Using a large spoon or your hands, toss until the squash pieces are evenly coated. Turn them out onto a baking sheet, and bake for 15 to 25 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and cool.

Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini, and whisk to blend. Add the water and olive oil, whisk well, and taste for seasoning. The sauce should have plenty of nutty tahini flavor, but also a little kick of lemon. (I found that my tahini was a little bitter and that the lemon was a bit much, so I added additional olive oil to tame both.)

To assemble the salad, combine the squash, chickpeas, onion, and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Add tahini sauce to taste, and toss carefully. (Alternatively, you can also serve the salad undressed, with the tahini sauce on the side. That way, each person can use as much or as little as they want, and the individual ingredients taste a little brighter, too.) Serve, with additional salt for sprinkling.

Note from Orangette: This salad, lightly dressed, keeps beautifully in the fridge. (Hold a little of the tahini sauce on the side, for dressing at the table.) Before serving, warm slightly with quick jolt in the microwave.

Here’s everything all mixed up.

I had a little snack mix with lunch (raisins, cheerios, and dry roasted peanuts).

And packed a snack for the mid afternoon munchies at work – blueberry Oikos and Cran-Raspberry La Croix.

I also wanted to share my latest tea finding. It’s Twinings Herbal Revive lemon tea with ginger- perfect for soothing a upset stomach, but also quite delicious on an average day, particularly with a little added sweetness from honey or stevia.