A Roasted Carrot, Radish & Crispy Chickpea Salad That’s Party-Worthy

It’s time to pack in the pulses this season and make chickpeas your new go-to source of protein.

Forget crutons in your salad and make pulses your plus one

Spring gives us some crazy colourful produce, and while we’re all for noshing on raw carrots and radishes as an afternoon snack, roasting them until sweet, golden and crispy takes them to a whole new level. This meal-sized salad gets beefed up with a base of fluffy and nutty kasha, the toasted version of buckwheat that’s packed with fibre and phytochemicals to boot! And since every salad needs a good crunch factor, skip the butter-soaked croutons, and look to pulses, instead.

These roasted crispy chickpeas will turn any basic salad into a dinner party-worthy treat, but are equally good just eaten out of a bowl like chips. We suggest whipping up a double or triple batch and keeping them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week — you know, for salad or snacking emergencies.

Related: This lentil salad will forever change how you feel about pulses.

Chickpea Saladphoto credit: James Tse
Servings Prep Time Cook Time
6 to 8servings 15 minutes 30minutes
Servings Prep Time
6 to 8servings 15 minutes
Cook Time
30minutes
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Units:
Ingredients
Servings: servings
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Place the chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel, top with another towel and gently rub the chickpeas until they start to pop out of their thin translucent skins. The skins hold a lot of moisture, so getting rid of as many as you can will help keep these beans crispier longer. Don’t worry about getting each and every one, just remove any that easily pop off. Transfer the dried chickpeas to a large baking sheet. Toss with one tablespoon of olive oil and ¼ teaspoon of salt.
  2. Place the radishes and carrots on another large baking sheet. Toss with 1½ tablespoons of olive oil, ¼ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, and za’atar.
  3. Place both sheets in the oven. After 10 minutes, remove the chickpeas and give them a stir. Return to the oven for 10-12 minutes.
  4. After 10 minutes, remove the vegetables and top with lemon zest and honey. Continue cooking for 8 minutes.
  5. Remove the vegetables and leave the chickpeas in the oven. Turn the oven off, and allow them to sit in the oven (with the oven door closed) as it cools down for at least an hour up until the pan is no longer hot.
  6. Bring the stock to a boil and add in the kasha. Bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook just until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand with the cover on until the rest of the liquid has been absorbed. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  7. To make the dressing, add the feta, yogurt, garlic, oil, lemon, honey, and salt and pepper, to taste.
  8. To serve the salad at room temperature, arrange the kasha on a platter. Top with the roasted vegetables and crispy chickpeas. Drizzle with the feta yogurt dressing and garnish with a pinch of za’atar and parsley.
Recipe Notes

Nutrients per serving: 397 calories, 16 g protein, 13 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 58 g carbohydrates (14 g fibre), 4 mg cholesterol, 306 mg sodium

Originally Published in Best Health Canada