How to Make Chickpea, Cherry & Quinoa Lettuce Wraps

Plenty of healthy protein, folate, vitamin C, bone-building minerals - this recipe delivers it all.

Chickpeas are one of the least expensive, nutrient-rich foods that you can eat. They're naturally abundant in folate, manganese, tryptophan, copper, iron, and of course, healthy protein. Due to their high tryptophan content, chickpeas are an excellent food choice for people who have trouble getting restful sleep.

Called the "mother of grains" by the Incan empire, quinoa is native to South America, and is naturally rich in all nine essential amino acids - these are amino acids that we humans can't make from other nutrients, so must obtain from our diet. Quinoa is one of a few grains that are gluten-free, and for most people, it's easy to digest and utilize, making it one of nature's healthiest sources of protein.

Many thanks to Breanna for sharing this lovely recipe and the photos below with us.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice (separated)
1/2 cup quinoa
1 15-ounce can unsalted chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 ounces unsalted walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup dried unsweetened cherries, chopped
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Fresh lettuce leaves

Tahini dip:
1/3 cup tahini
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Juice your orange(s) and set aside 2 tablespoons for use later.

2. Combine quinoa, 3/4 cup orange juice, plus 1/4 cup water in a small pot; bring to a boil, cover, and lower the heat to a simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat for 5 minutes before fluffing the quinoa with a fork. While quinoa is cooking, you should be able to prepare the rest of the ingredients.

3. Combine chickpeas, walnuts, cherries, parsley and 2 tablespoons of orange juice. Mix thoroughly.

4. For the tahini dip, whisk the tahini, garlic and lemon juice in a small dish. You can use a blender if you prefer a more homogenized consistency. Taste and add sea salt or pepper as desired.

5. Once quinoa is cooked, add it to the chickpea mixture and gently combine all ingredients. Add sea salt and pepper, if desired.

6. Spoon the mixture into lettuce leaves and serve. The dipping sauce can be drizzled over the lettuce wraps, served on the side, or even mixed in with the chickpeas if you prefer.

Feel free to serve up the chickpea and quinoa dish in a big bowl with freshly washed lettuce leaves on the side and have each person make their own wraps as they devour this super tasty and health-enhancing meal.

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Chickpea, Cherry & Quinoa Lettuce Wraps Recipe