Chickpea Salad Recipe

by Christine Cushing, Ellie Kruger
(Foodnetwork.com)

Man has been cultivating chickpeas for at least 7000 years. The seed of a bush, chickpeas are beige coloured and shaped like a hazelnut. It is a tasty and versatile legume. You may know it as the garbanzo bean or as the main ingredient in hummus. It is also the hearty protein in the popular Indian dish Chana Masala.

Spinach is a very nutrient-dense food. It is low in calories yet very high in vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients. It is also a versatile food: can be eaten raw in a salad (and is much more nutritious than iceberg lettuce) or a green smoothie. Or it can be cooked lightly and eaten as a dish on its own or added to soups and other meals.

Here are some two great salad recipes that combine chickpeas and spinach.. Enjoy!


Chickpea and Spinach Salad with Cumin Dressing and Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

*8 servings

• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

• 1/2 cup chopped red onion

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• Salt and pepper

• 4 cups baby spinach leaves

• Yogurt with Orange Essence, recipe below, optional

• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves, optional


Preparation:

In a medium bowl combine the chickpeas, parsley and onion. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, cumin,cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture and toss to combine. Serve the chickpea salad over a bed of spinach leaves. Top with the yogurt sauce and a sprinkle of mint, if using.


Yogurt with Orange Essence:

*About half a cup.

• 1/3 cup lowfat plain yogurt

• 1/4 teaspoon orange zest

• 2 tablespoons orange juice

• 1/2 teaspoon honey

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, orange zest, orange juice and honey.

Original Chickpea Salad Recipe #1



Chickpea and Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

*6 servings

Salad

• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 14-ounce can of chickpeas) (375 ml)


• 1 bunch spinach, washed, stems removed or use baby spinach (about 4 cups/1 litre)

• 1 small red onion, sliced (about 1 cup/250 ml)

• 1 tomato, cut in wedges, optional

• Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste


Dressing

• 1 large garlic clove, chopped

• Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander (5 ml)

• pinch of cayenne

• 1/4 cup mint (60 ml)

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 teaspoon honey (5 ml)

• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (15 ml)

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (60 ml)


Preparation:

Salad

• Add the spinach, chickpeas, red onion and tomato to a large bowl. Toss with dressing to combine. Serve. Serves 4 to 6 depending on if served as a side or main.


Dressing

• With a mortar and pestle (or alternatively in a food processor), pound garlic, salt, pepper, coriander, cayenne and mint to a rough paste. Stir in the lemon juice, honey and pomegranate molasses. Drizzle in the olive oil. Stir to blend. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

Original Chickpea Salad Recipe #2


*If you enjoyed these chickpea salad recipes, I'd like to tell you about a healthy diet program that uses a lot of the lower GI foods: Isabel de los Rios' 'The Diet Solution Program'.

The Diet Solution Program favours a long term health orientated approach to fat loss, but not offering anyone a quick fix to their weight troubles. It has loads of valuable data and research to support its approach. I personally investigated the program thoroughly and my mum has been using it for a while now. I have to say she got some great results.

The nutrition plan is one of the healthiest we have seen, a strong core focus on vegetables, fruits, vitamin dense foods, lean proteins, select dairy produce and a clear approach to not expecting one diet to work for all body types. So give it a try and let me know how you’re doing.*