Carrot Salad with Tahini and Chickpeas

I haven’t posted about this Smitten Kitchen salad before. The original recipe calls for roasting the chickpeas until they are crisp, but I’ve decided that I actually prefer them straight from the can, so I wrote it down the way that I make it. (This time, I actually added some baby kale, since I had it on hand, and served it with quiche.)

For the dressing
1 medium garlic clove, minced
¼ cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp. well-stirred tahini
2 Tbsp. water, plus more if needed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ tsp. cumin
salt and red pepper flakes to taste

For the salad
1 lb. carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley
1 ¾ cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15-oz. can, rinsed and drained
¼ cup shelled, salted pistachios, coarsely chopped (optional)

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until smooth, adding more water if needed to thin the dressing slightly (I prefer to shake them together in a jar). Taste and adjust seasoning; don’t worry if it tastes a little sharp on the lemon, it will marry perfectly with the sweet grated carrots.

Place grated carrots in large bowl and toss with parsley and chickpeas. Mix in 2/3 of the dressing, adding more if desired. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with pistachios and dig in.