Then we added red quinoa, feta and chickpeas, and voila! Dinner was served. We crisped chickpeas in oil and dusted them with cumin. We wanted to use all of the fennel this time, including fronds – the feathery top – for a hint of green and anise. Cook, relax and enjoy!

What you’ll need:

½ cup red quinoa
1 small shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 small fennel bulb with fronds
1 stalk celery
1 15-oz can chickpeas
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 oz feta
¼ cup roasted unsalted almonds
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

Equipment:

fine-mesh sieve
large skillet

Recipe steps:

1. Cook quinoa

   Rinse quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve. Place in a small saucepan with 1 cup water and a pinch salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook, covered, until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed, 15 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered.

2. Make dressing

   Trim, peel, and thinly slice shallot. Place in a large bowl. Whisk in Dijon, vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

3. Prep vegetables

   Trim root and fronds from fennel bulb; discard root. Finely chop fennel fronds and add to dressing. Thinly slice fennel and celery and add to dressing.

4. Fry chickpeas

   Rinse and drain chickpeas. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add chickpeas and cumin and season with salt. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until chickpeas are crispy, about 4 minutes.

5. Crisp quinoa

   Add quinoa to chickpeas and continue to cook, shaking pan occasionally, until starting to pop, about 2 minutes more.

6. Finish salad

   Add chickpeas and quinoa to bowl with vegetables. Crumble feta into bowl. Roughly chop almonds and add to bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Transfer to a platter and drizzle with olive oil. Enjoy!