Fried Chickpea, Herb and Honey Salad
Easy
Prep 15 min Cook 15 min plus soaking time
My Fried chickpea herb and honey salad is a very simple salad, with a bit of a twist by frying the crushed peas which gives them a great crunch and texture. The dressing has subtle spice flavours and a delicate sweetness from the honey which you can certainly substitute for any vegan sweet syrups like coconut, maple or rice malt.
Opening a can of chickpeas, draining them and throwing them into a salad is one of the easiest ways to increase your fibre and protein, not to mention they taste fantastic when dressed and are an ideal kitchen staple. Take it one step further and get the whole dried chickpeas. These do require soaking overnight, then boiling until tender, so they are a little more work but they do offer the extra benefit of being able to be sprouted, which not only gives you many other options to use them but also brings real living foods right in your own kitchen.
Ingredients
2 cups whole dry chickpeas, soaked overnight then boiled until cooked, drained, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or your favourite vinegar
2 tblsp honey (optional)
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup of finely chopped shallots – green and white part
3 garlic cloves, sliced
½ tsp cumin seeds
4-5 cups rocket, washed and dried
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved or sliced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Recipe Steps
-
- In a small bowl, stir together the lemon juice, honey and 1 tablespoon of the oil.
- Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a large fry pan over high heat add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chopped chickpeas and the cumin seeds.
- Cook, tossing occasionally, until the seeds are fragrant and the chickpeas are golden and crisp on the exterior, 6 to 7 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium high and add the shallots and garlic. Cook and stir until the shallots just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large serving bowl and let cool slightly, about 15 minutes.
- Add in all the herbs and leaves, cherry tomatoes and pine nuts to the bowl with the chickpeas. Pour over the dressing, season with salt and toss well before serving.