Everyday Chickpea and Quinoa Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

This recipe is from the legendary vegan chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz's book "Appetite for Reduction : 125 fast and filling low fat vegan recipes". It is, infact, the very first recipe of the book. I thought I would do my best to try as many of the recipes in this book as I could, and this one is a good start.

What you will need for the salad:
2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled
1 small red onion, sliced thinly (optional)
4 cups chopped cos lettuce
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
a few leaves of fresh basil, chopped finely
handful of snow pea sprouts
1 carrot, grated

What you will need for the vinaigrette:
1/4 cup cashew pieces
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp agave nectar
3/4 tsp salt

Method:
Mix all the salad ingredients together. For the vinaigrette, place cashews in a blender and pulse to chop up. Add rest of the ingredients and blend for about 5 minutes, to get the mixture smooth and not grainy. Add to salad and toss to coat. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up 3 days if a tightly sealed container is used.