Chickpea Butternut Squash Salad

I have previously blogged this recipe, with link to the original Smitten Kitchen Recipe.

I didn't look at either version last night, just going with my memory and my gut.  I didn't actually taste it until this morning, either, but that doesn't seem to matter too much.

Chickpeas:
I threw 1/3 c of dry chickpeas (unsoaked), 1 cup of water, and probably over a tablespoon of Chinese Five Spice into my slow cooker on high.  I like to cook legumes in the slow cooker, because I never worry that the heat is too high, and I just check them every once in awhile.  It is relatively easy.  It probably takes awhile, but I don't really notice.  Oh, I also accidentally put way too much salt in the chickpeas, but when I drained them, they tasted fine.  Delicious, really.
One thing I like about using dried chickpeas is that the resulting legume is smaller than what I usually get in cans.  I don't know why this is - when I soak them they may be a little larger - but I highly prefer the smaller size.  Chickpeas tend to be a bit crunchier than other legumes, and the larger canned chickpeas are just a bit too much for me.  (Especially in soups, but we will get to that the next time I make a chickpea soup.)

Butternut Squash:
I had a small (less than a pound) butternut squash, which I peeled seeded and diced to about the size of a small chickpea.  I tossed it with 1 t of olive oil and baked at 400 until it was a bit carmelized.  Towards the end of the cooking time, I put one very large clove of garlic through a garlic press and stirred that in to bake as well.

Dressing:
I bought this sesame paste from my new local market.  I live in/near both Hispanic and Chinese neighborhoods, which is awesome - I can get almost every ethnic food I desire.  (So far, at least.)  The sesame paste I used has the ingredients sesame seed and sesame oil, and it is less solid and more oily than the tahini I'm used to.  I used two teaspoons.
I used lime instead of lemon, because limes are 15 for $1 at the local store, and lemons were 4 for $1.  Still cheap, but not ridiculously so.
I thought about using cilantro instead of parsley, because I was using lime.  I am glad I went with parsley (and I used a LOT - probably over 1/2 cup) because parsley has a much milder, less over-powering flavor, and the flavors in this salad are terrific.

I think the moral of the story is that I in fact have gotten to a point in my cooking life to the ideal place:
I have mastered the techniques I have aspired to master.
I know the ingredients I like well enough to know what to do with them.
The flavor profile I seek is attainable: I know the flavors and combinations I want to use.

So with that knowledge I continue.  Also, it should be noted that I really want to share a photo, but I dropped my phone in dishwater this morning and it's currently in a bag of rice, so I'm unable to, and the salad will be gone by the time I am able to.  Sorry!