Spiced Chickpea Greek Salad Recipe: Do you have any idea what a gateway salad is? Think of it like medicine for produce. However, I’m not simply referring to the salads you ate as a child—I’m referring to the very first one that made you realize what was wrong. That was a lush green thing that was combined with a variety of delectable toppings and dressed with an ethereal flavor that completed the overall enchanted experience.
Most of the salads I had as a child were unsatisfactory. There was gloopy cole slaw, Iceberg with bottled French dressing, and the monthly canned pear on top of a scoop of cottage cheese (yep, this was salad back in the 1980s). Therefore, unless a bowl of lettuce was practically covered in sweet dressing, day-glo orange cheddar cheese, and/or croutons, I was definitely not going to that party because of the bag and the Bacos (yes, those tiny scientific pieces that pass for food).
Spiced Chickpea Greek Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the tahini vinaigrette:
- 1/4Â C tahini*
- 3 T rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. honey
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2Â garlic cloves, grated
- 2Â T fresh chopped dill
- 3Â T water
For the spiced chickpeas:
- 2Â cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2Â T olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
To assemble:
- 8Â C romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1Â C mint leaves
- 1Â large cucumber, sliced
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1Â C kalamata olives, pitted
- 4 ounces feta cheese
Instructions
- To make the tahini vinaigrette, combine the tahini, vinegar, honey, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, dill, and water in a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Put aside.
- To make the spiced chickpeas, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. When the chickpeas start to crisp up on the exterior but remain soft in the center, roughly 7 to 10 minutes of constant stirring and sautéing is required. Add the smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and kosher salt. After combining, give it one more minute of cooking. Once the heat is off, set aside.
- To assemble, divide the cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, mint leaves, lettuce, and olives among four bowls. Stir in the seasoned chickpeas and pour in the dressing. Serve right away.
ALSO SEE
NutritionÂ
- Calories Per Serving:Â 494 % DAILY VALUE
- 33% Total Fat: 25.8g
- 19%Total
- Carbohydrate: 51.5g
- 53% Dietary Fiber, 15g
- Sugars 13g
- 41%Protein 20.4g
- 56% Vitamin A, 499.7 g
- 21% Vitamin C 18.8 mg
NOTES
- Tahini is found in the international foods department of most grocery shops and is prepared from ground sesame seeds. Give the oil a thorough stir before measuring it out for the dressing; it’s usual for it to separate.
- Feel free to experiment with different vinegars; I had success using both cider vinegar and red wine. However, take note that the dressing has a slightly off-putting tint from the red wine vinegar.
- You can prepare all the ingredients up to three days in advance. Assemble them when needed, and store them individually in sealed containers in the refrigerator.
FAQs AND Questions
How to make spiced chickpeas
- I mean, spiced chickpeas sound posh. Fortunately, they’re almost as simple as frying an egg—possibly even simpler, as there aren’t any difficult flipping or runny yolk mishaps to deal with. Simply take out a few cans of chickpeas, rinse and drain them to remove the strange, beany liquid (or reserve it for fluffy, light vegan desserts),
- then stir in a variety of spices and cook in hot oil until they start to crisp up. Allow everything to toast for a minute or so, and then use those seasoned chickpeas on salads, polenta, and spaghetti!