For people sick of salads consisting mostly of lettuce, a chickpea salad with ginger is a good way to change up a healthy diet.
I came upon this recipe when I went to visit with my aunt and my grandmother. My aunt had printed the recipe off the New York Times’ Web site and was eager to try it out.
While at the grocery store, I was introduced to a popular legume – the chickpea, also known as a garbanzo bean.
At first, I was intimidated by the amount of items in this salad, but the construction of this meal is surprisingly simple. The cost was about $9 and the preparation time topped out at around 15 minutes, even after I burned the first two tablespoons of cumin. This is a quick and affordable alternative to leaf-based salads.
The utensils needed for a successful execution of this salad is two bowls, a cutting board, a knife, a skillet and a stovetop.
This salad is a delight for the senses. While making the salad, I noticed there were a lot of contrasting smells like lemon and ginger. The ingredients are a vibrant mix of colors, and the salad has a nice texture of crunchy vegetables with squishy chickpeas. Every bite is a new taste, and the different flavors mix well into a tasty medley.
Chickpea Salad with Ginger
Ingredients
• 1 T ground cumin<br/>&#8226; 2 cans of rinsed• 2 cans of rinsed<br/>&#160;&#160;&#160; chickpeas chickpeas<br/>&#160;&#8226; 2 bell peppers (any • 2 bell peppers (any<br/>&#160;&#160;&#160; color) seeded &amp; color) seeded &<br/>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; diced diced<br/>&#8226; 1 red onion• 1 red onion
• 2 cans of rinsed
chickpeas
• 2 bell peppers (any
color) seeded &
diced
• 1 red onion
• 1 1-inch piece ginger, <br/>&#160;&#160;&#160; peeled and minced peeled and minced<br/>&#8226; 1 T sugar (opt.)• 1 T sugar (opt.)<br/>&#8226; 3 lemons• 3 lemons<br/>&#8226; salt &amp; pepper to taste• salt & pepper to taste<br/>&#8226; chopped fresh • chopped fresh <br/>&#160;&#160;&#160; cilantro cilantro
peeled and minced
• 1 T sugar (opt.)
• 3 lemons
• salt & pepper to taste
• chopped fresh
cilantro
Instructions
In a dry pan, lightly toast the ground cumin at 200 degrees for two minutes. (You will want to watch this closely so as not to burn the cumin). In a large bowl, combine chickpeas, chopped bell peppers, chopped onion and chopped cilantro. In a separate small bowl, squeeze the lemon juice and combine with chopped ginger, toasted cumin and sugar. Pour the dressing into the large bowl and add salt and pepper to taste. Mix ingredients together with wooden spoon. Feeds four easily.