Acorn squash and chickpea salad

Nights are getting cooler and the pumpkins are rolling in. So last night, I whipped up a 3 step dish with help from Smitten Kitchen and 101 Cookbooks. It consists of the salad, dressing and the garnish that taste best when assembled right before serving.

Makes 4 sides
For the salad:~
1 small acorn squash, seeded, peeled and cubed into 1inch pieces (save the seeds)
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 medium clove of garlic, minced
a little more than a 1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup of chopped coriander and mint leaves
2 tbsp of olive oil
Salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 deg.
2. Toss cubed squash with 1 tbsp of olive oil, jalapeno peppers, garlic, salt and 1 tbsp of chopped red onions.
3. Roast in the oven for about 20-25 mins until the squash is soft but not squishy like mine turned out because I let it overcook.
4. Once done, transfer to a salad bowl and let cool. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Gently toss to mix.

For the dressing:~
1 medium clove of garlic, minced
Juice of 1 large lime
3 tbsp of tahini, well mixed
2-3 tbsp of water
2 tbsp olive oil, I used oil infused with red pepper

1. Beat all the ingredients together until its smooth. You might want to add a bit more water to adjust consistency.

For the garnish:~
Saved seeds from squash, de-stringed (is this a word?) and rinsed
1 egg white
2 tsp of salt and pepper
1 tsp paprika

1. In a small bowl, beat the egg white with salt, pepper and paprika.
2. Bath the seeds in the egg mixture to coat evenly. I used my sieve to rescue the seeds.
3. Spread them on a oiled baking sheet and roast in the oven at 375 deg for 30 mins or until the seeds are golden-reddish-brown.

Before serving, Add a couple of tbsps of the dressing to a bowl of salad and garnish with crispysquash seeds. Enjoy!