Preparing colorful salads makes eating my veggies that much more pleasurable. In this salad, I combine ingredients that by themselves are delicious and healthy, but together, make a gastronomic masterpiece. (This also is my entry into Vegan Mofo’s Iron Chef Challenge #1 for chickpeas.) Enjoy!

Chickpea & Red Quinoa Salad
1 head chopped romaine lettuce
1-2 cups chickpeas
1-2 cups cooked red quinoa (follow instructions on the box/brand you buy)
1 chopped red onion
1 chopped red pepper
1 chopped yellow pepper
1 chopped orange pepper
1-2 carrots, sliced thinly

Toss in the dressing of your choice. A dressing that I’ve enjoyed lately is a simple lemon-olive oil mix.

Lemon-Olive Oil Dressing
juice of 1-2 lemons
1-2 TB olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
a pinch of cayenne or cajun seasoning