Chickpeas are so versatile

I love chickpeas! The bean some may know as the garbanzo is used in many diverse dishes. Some you may have tried without even knowing of the the versatile chickpeas presence! Hummus and falafel are two of the common dishes in which chickpea makes a bold statement. Italian cuisine adds them as a lovely topping to salads (thanks to Maria’s Italian Kitchen for turning me onto this). One version of eating this bean that I recently discovered and have not been able to stop experimenting with is a chickpea salad. Yup, a salad which stars the chickpea! Thus, a recipe from the entertaining Vegan Lunchbox by Jennifer McCann will be the recipe I share. It certainly adds to the versatility of the chickpea and tastes awesome! 😀

Roasted Chickpeas
4 cups of Slow Cooked Chickpeas or ~30 oz. of canned chickpeas (2 regular sized cans)
3 tsp. nutritional yeast (see picture below)
1 tsp. salt
1 TB olive oil

1. Mix all ingredients above well and spread on a baking sheet (I prefer to cover with parchment paper). Toast for 30 minutes at 400F, mixing around half way.

 

This is probably the coolest way to transform chickpeas into the star of the salad or a great snack! I have had great feedback on how these taste with just these minimal ingredients.

If you are feeling like doing a little chopping and want to transform your yummy roasted chickpeas to one of these delectable salads, here are some pictures of versions of this recipe I have recently made, with the recipe below.

 

Roasted Chickpea Salad
Roasted chickpeas from above
2 TB minced cilantro
1/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, etc.)
2 celery stalks finely chopped
2 scallions or bunch of chives minced
2-3 TB Vegenaise (to taste)
2 tsp. Sesame oil

1. Add roasted chickpeas to bowl and mix in well minced cilantro, chopped nuts, finely chopped celery and scallions. Mix well with Vegenaise and sesame oil. Allow to cool or serve right away!
I have made this salad with the following adjustments and same great taste:

  • Lime juice instead of vegenaise (3 TB may be too acidic so add 1 TB at a time until you like the taste!)
  • Adding red onions for extra flavor (and if you don’t mind the raw onion taste)
  • Almond slivers instead of pecans as pictured above

   
And for audience participation time, please give me your feedback! Which lighting/picture do you like better? The last one or second to last one?

❤

Category : Food