A food writer who has been making David Lebovitz's classic French grated carrot salad for four years has adapted it with a lemony tahini dressing and cumin-roasted chickpeas, turning the simple side into a more substantial dish. The original salade de carottes râpées relies on lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of sugar, salt, pepper, and rough-chopped parsley, seasoned by taste as you go.
The new version draws on a carrot soup the writer discussed in early 2013, which was finished with a lemony-tahini swirl and topped with cumin and sea salt roasted chickpeas. That soup was described as "a real meal in a bowl," and the writer wanted a fresh spring-summer spin on those flavors.
The resulting salad is described as zinging with lemon, nutty with tahini, flecked with parsley, and topped with almost smoky roasted chickpeas and chopped salted pistachios. The writer notes it has more complexity than any other bowl of grated carrots they have had. 
Serving Suggestions and Variations
The writer suggests serving the salad at cookouts, possibly with lamb skewers or grilled pita wedges. For a weeknight meal, it could be piled atop leafy greens or served with sesame-spiced turkey meatballs from the writer's cookbook. For a work lunch, keeping the chickpeas separate and sprinkling them on as croutons before eating is recommended. 
The writer acknowledges that no carrot salad could replace the French classic but says this version deserves a place alongside other variations, such as a harissa, feta, and mint carrot salad sent by a reader four years ago. The original post also links to previous carrot recipes, including avocado salad with carrot-ginger dressing, carrot cake pancakes, and carrot soup with miso and sesame.
Editorial Notes