Chickpea And Greens Salad
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Do you ever get a moment of food inspiration that just sticks with you? Someone either shares a photo, or describes something they’ve eaten, and you just can’t get the idea out of your head. That happened to me recently with this chickpea and greens salad. One of the foodie types I follow on Facebook and Twitter is Claudia Zapata. Claudia a registered dietitian, health and wellness writer at the San Antonio Express-News, and one of my top girl crushes of the moment. The other day she shared a quick photo and recipe for a salad she’d made with fresh greens and chickpeas, it was so simple and delicious looking – here is a screen shot of her tweet.
I love dishes like this in the summer because they don’t require any “cooking” so your house stays cool. The idea was inspiring to me, but I was running around and busy when she shared it. It stuck with me for days. Finally I went out to the store and grabbed some ingredients to make my own version. I wanted to have a similar punch of flavors, without using Pecorino or Parmesan (mostly because I was too lazy to grate some). So I opted to add mint, lemon zest and garlic to the mix. I was very pleased with the results. I love when a recipe is so tasty that the fact it happens to be healthy isn’t at the forefront of your mind.
Thanks for the inspiration Claudia!
Ingredients:
2 cans organic chickpeas, rinsed thoroughly
1 small bunch of organic kale, ribs removed and sliced into small ribbons
1 Tablespoon chopped mint
1 Tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
1 small garlic clove, minced (I rarely use a garlic press, but did for this dish since it did the mincing for me and you really do want small pieces of garlic since it will be raw)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of kosher salt
Pinch of fresh ground black pepper
Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add in the chiffonade of kale. Walk away and let the dressing work on the tough kale leaves for 10-15 mins. Add in the chickpeas, mint and parsley. Stir to coat everything evenly with the dressing. Serve room temperature or chilled.
7 Responses to “Chickpea And Greens Salad”
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Bookmarked! I may leave out the mint (or possibly replace it with basil?) but I’m definitely making this side salad one day next week. Looks delicious! And perfect for lunch leftovers too…
Thanks for sharing!
Ally I think basil would be a great addition. Since the Kale is so “sturdy” it holds up great for leftovers and lunches for work.
this sounds delicious + is totally my type of healthy, quick, warm weather snack or side dish. thanks for sharing it!
So flattered! Thanks for sharing!!
I love that you are sharing Claudia’s recipes! She is a great chef and a great person
This looks delicious! A perfect lunch for summertime.
I positively love salads like this. Chickpeas and greens are meant to be together!