Herbed Quinoa & Chickpea Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Started writing the foreword this week. Tom asked for something short — two pages, no more — that would set the context for a reader who didn't know farrier work or Paradise Valley or the kind of life Tom had built. Not a biographical introduction, which Tom said would embarrass him, but something about what the work means and why it was worth reading about. That's a more interesting assignment than a biography.

I've been thinking about what makes a life worth recording. Not the famous life or the exceptional life in the dramatic sense — but the life that was lived fully in its own particular territory, that paid close attention to specific things, that built something over fifty years that can't be held but can be described. Tom's life with horses is that kind of life. The horses are the window through which the whole world is visible: the families, the land, the economics, the changes in ranching culture over five decades. A skilled farrier saw all of that from the same low angle, crouched under a horse with a hoof between his knees, and paid attention. That's what I'm trying to put in two pages.

The spring is fully on now. Everything is green and muddy and the creek is high and the horses are out in the pastures all day. I love spring in Montana with a ferocity that is partly about the season and partly about the relief of winter ending. Even a good winter requires patience. The spring doesn't require anything. It just arrives.

Made a simple salad this week with the first greens from the garden — arugula and spinach with a lemon vinaigrette and some crumbled goat cheese. After months of heavy winter food, a salad that bites back is the most welcome thing in the kitchen.

That simple salad I threw together with arugula and goat cheese was a start, but when I went back to the kitchen the next evening with a little more time and intention, I wanted something that could hold its own as a full meal — something with enough substance to feel like a proper return to eating well after months of heavy winter food, but still bright and green and awake. This herbed quinoa and chickpea salad with lemon-tahini dressing was exactly that: the lemon does the same biting work as a good vinaigrette, the herbs taste like the garden coming back to life, and the whole thing feels like the spring itself — no patience required, just arrival.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water or vegetable broth
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups arugula or baby spinach
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese (optional)
Lemon-Tahini Dressing:
3 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
2–3 tablespoons warm water (to thin)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Cook the quinoa. Combine quinoa and water or broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and spread on a sheet pan to cool slightly.
Make the dressing. Whisk together tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and minced garlic in a small bowl. Add warm water one tablespoon at a time until the dressing reaches a pourable consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine the cooled quinoa, chickpeas, arugula, parsley, mint, green onions, and cherry tomatoes. Toss gently to distribute the greens throughout.
Dress and serve. Drizzle the lemon-tahini dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional lemon juice or salt as needed. Top with crumbled feta or goat cheese if using. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to one day (dress just before serving if making ahead).

Nutrition (per serving)

Herbed Quinoa & Chickpea Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing — The First Greens of a Montana Spring