Warm Kabocha and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing

I have noticed around the blogger world that many people are posting 12 cookie recipes for the 12 weeks of Christmas.

Here at Eats Well With Others, we are doing a similar feature called the 12 Pounds of Winter Squash. Which may be followed up by How Joanne OD'ed on Vitamin A. Stay tuned.
How awesome would it be though if I could churn out 12 winter squash recipes before Christmas? I think I smell a challenge coming on...

So see those two squash up there? Those are actually pounds 1 through 3. Back when all of this was still new. I was still invigorated and had mass amounts of endorphins flowing through my body at the mere mention of winter squash.

Who am I kidding? I still click on every winter squash recipe that pops up in my Google Reader. And bookmark it. And then proceed to play the Black Eyed Peas song, I Got A Feeling, and dance around my room.
This recipe was actually one that made its rounds in the Blogosphere last year. I fell in love with it then. But only got around to making it now. Talk about lag time. I saw it on A Veggie Venture, Closet Cooking, and Everybody Likes Sandwiches. They saw it on Smitten Kitchen and/or Orangette, who adapted it from the cookbook Casa Moro. It was kind of like a game of telephone so who really knows if it in any way mimics the original. It would be kind of fun to see the original recipe, however, and compare. Note to self - get on Amazon.com and buy that cookbook.

Second note to self - this is why I should not be left to my own devices with internet access AND a credit card.

After taking my first bite into this dish, I was super angry with myself for not making it sooner! The tahini dressing was just so good and reminded me of why I need to incorporate more tahini into my life. The super thick texture of the kabocha also really appealed to me and made me wonder how much I like winter squash because of the taste and how much because of the texture. Something to think about.

I am submitting this delicious fall salad to Souper Sunday, which is hosted weekly by Deb over at Kahakai Kitchen.
Warm Kabocha and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing
Serves 4, adapted from about six different blogs

3 lb kabocha (or any other winter squash)
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp allspice
1 can chickpeas
1 red onion
1/4 cup cilantro
1 clove garlic
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup quinoa (or any grain)

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Cut the kabocha into chunks after de-seeding it. Toss it in a bowl with salt, allspice, sliced red onion, and the 3 minced cloves of garlic. Spread on a baking sheet, spray with cooking oil and roast for 25-40 minutes or until fork-tender.

2. While the squash is roasting, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing and cook your grain of choice. When the squash mix is done, toss it with the chickpeas and dressing. Plate it on top of the cooked quinoa and then garnish with cilantro.