Marinated Chickpea Salad

I have a great big pot of home cooked chickpeas sitting in my fridge. I like to have a batch available because my daughters love hummus, and this way I can whip up a batch anytime. They like to eat it with fresh veggies, especially carrots, peppers, and cauliflower.

I, however, tend to enjoy chickpeas in their natural form and I often add them to dishes such as my simple curry bowls or as toppings to my salads.

On my way home from work Monday, I was pondering what to make myself for lunch. I was really craving something light and fresh, but with enough oomph that would satisfy the big hunger I had. I knew it would have to be something with these chickpeas so I came up with this recipe. It is bright, delicious, and very satisfying. I also discovered yesterday (Wednesday) that is tastes even better after a day or two in the fridge.

For the marinade:
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
1 T maple syrup or sweetener of choice (I like to use it to cut the twang of the vinegar)
1 T olive oil (omit if you are oil free, no problem!)
2 t stone ground mustard
1/2 t finely minced garlic or garlic paste
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together all your ingredients in a bowl. It'll look something like this:

 

For the salad, you will need (don't forget, you can sub any ingredients and make it YOURS! Just go with what you like)

 

2 c drained chickpeas

1/2 cucumber

1/2 red bell pepper

1/4 onion, minced or 2-3 green onions, thinly sliced

handful cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/4ths

 

Chop cucumbers and peppers to small bite sized pieces. Think chopped salad. Add all veggies and chickpeas to the marinade. If you made the marinade in too small a bowl like I did, transfer all ingredients to a bowl and pour marinade on top and give it a good stir. If you can't wait, go ahead and ladle some over a bed of mixed baby greens right now and enjoy! For best results, though, let this mixture sit for an hour or two (or 24, etc...) before eating.

I like everything with avocados on it, so I served my salad with a half of an avocado mixed in.

 

To make this a satisfying dish for my husband and his brother, I served it up with some tuna fish and they both loved it. We were all happy. :)

 

While I'd love for everyone under my roof to be plant based eaters, they aren't, and I'm not going to whack them over their heads with a giant zucchini or anything. However, the meals I make are all plant based with a meat option on the side. Since it isn't the main focus of the meal anymore, everyone is eating less meat, and they don't seem to miss it as much as I thought they would. I can honestly say that I am happy with that. If they change to plant based eating, it'll be on their own terms, just like it was on mine, and I'll support them in whatever they decide.

 

Enjoy!

~Melanie