Butternut squash and chickpea salad with tahini dressing

- LW

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/01/warm-butternut-squash-and-chickpea-salad/

This makes a great light meal served on top of salad greens with warm crusty bread on the side. I ate it with reheated sourdough garlic bread I'd made the day before, and it was a revelation.

Update: I recently made this with roasted eggplant because I couldn't find butternut squash, and it was delicious, if a little bit lighter. This tips the meal into more decidedly Mediterranean territory.

Ingredients
For salad:

1 medium butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces 1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper to taste One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups) 3-4 green onions, finely chopped 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

For tahini dressing:

1 medium garlic clove, finely minced with a pinch of salt 1/4 cup lemon juice 3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini 2 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 425.

In a large bowl, combine the butternut squash, garlic, smoked paprika, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss the squash pieces until evenly coated. Roast them on a baking sheet for 25 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and cool.

Meanwhile, make the tahini dressing: In a small bowl (or blender), whisk together the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini, and whisk to blend. Add the water and olive oil, whisk well, and taste for seasoning. The sauce should have plenty of nutty tahini flavor, but also a little kick of lemon. You will probably need to add more water to thin it out.

To assemble the salad, combine the squash, chickpeas, onion, and cilantro or parsley in a mixing bowl. Add the tahini dressing to taste, toss, and save the extra dressing. Serve with extra dressing if desired and sprinkle with smoked paprika.

This salad, lightly dressed, keeps beautifully in the fridge, and can be reheated in the microwave or eaten at room temperature with extra dressing.