SECRET RECIPE ENCORE: CHICKPEA SALAD

Posted in Salads, Secret Recipe Club, Veggies by

When I was a child, becoming an orphan was my greatest fear, and I literally lost many nights of sleep worrying about it.  So, when I learned that one member  from the Secret Recipe Club was about to be an orphan this month (the person supposed to pick a recipe from the blog had a problem and could not complete the assignment in time) I decided to perform a virtual adoption… 😉  My “encore” post for this month’s reveal day comes from Without Adornment, and you can visit it clicking here.  Bean, the hostess, has a site loaded with gluten-free recipes, and absolutely gorgeous photography.   Due to the time constraints (I had less than 24 hours to pick a recipe, make it, and write about it), I had to go with a simple dish.  But, it all ended perfectly for me:  I had no idea what to eat for lunch after working out, and her chickpea salad came to the rescue. Delicious, refreshing, light, healthy, but also filling enough to carry me through a busy Sunday afternoon…
CHICKPEA SALAD
(adapted from Without Adornment)

1 can of chickpeas
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced
Grape or Cherry tomatoes to taste
salt and pepper
grapeseed oil
lime juice
white balsamic vinegar

Boil  2 cups of water in a small sauce pan.  Drain the chickpeas from the can, and drop them in the boiling water for 5-10 second.  Quickly drain them and rinse with plenty of cold water.  Reserve until cold.

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients from chickpeas to tomatoes.   Make a simple dressing with oil, a squeeze of lime juice, a little balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.  Drizzle over the salad and….

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

This salad gives me the chance to introduce you to a reasonably recent acquisition from the Bewitching Kitchen… a spiralizer! Or a spiral-cutter… or… whatever you want to call it…
I like raw carrots in salad, but prefer if they are cut paper-thin.  This gadget gave me the exact texture I was hoping for.  The very thin ribbons get perfectly seasoned and retain just a little crunch.

Chickpeas & boiling water: this is a tip I learned from Barbara Tropp, in her book Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking.  She recommended to rinse all sorts of canned products in boiling water, to remove what she described as the “tin taste”.  The improvement in flavor is quite noticeable.  So I normally do it whenever I use chickpeas, beans, and water chestnuts.

Bean, it was fun to get to know your blog, I wish I’d had more time to devote to it, your Lemon Cupcakes seemed absolutely scrumptious!  😉

ONE YEAR AGO: A Soft Spot for Chevre

TWO YEARS AGO: Seared Tuna, My Own Private Idaho

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33 thoughts on “SECRET RECIPE ENCORE: CHICKPEA SALAD”

  1. I have one of the spiral shredder thinges too. I don’t use it alot, but when I need it it works brilliantly. I love doing carrots and beets with it and using them in wraps with what ever else I’m putting in it.

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  5. Oh, this looks beautiful! Best of all, it’s healthy, and someone such as myself (kitchenally challenged) can make it! I love the tip about submerging the chickpeas for 10 seconds in boiling water; this will also help keep the “tinny” taste out of my homemade hummus.
    Thanks, Sally.

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    • I also use grapeseed almost exclusively in sauteing – I like the fact it has such mild flavor, and actually prefer salad dressings made with it rather than olive oil. Not always, but often enough

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  8. Thanks for the tip on rinsing in hot water. I never worried about being an orphan. I was convinced I was adopted as I’m so different to everyone in my family. Nowdays I look in the mirror and I see my paternal grandmother staring back at me it’s time to concede I was never adopted.

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  9. Thanks for the wonderful compliments and for making sure I wasn’t an orphan, Sally! I’m so glad you liked the salad – It looks so delicious! I love your tip about submerging the chickpeas – usually i just rinse them off, but I’m sure that will work better.

    That is such a neat little gadget – too bad I don’t have room in my kitchen for it.

    Take Care!

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  12. YUM! You are truly an angel…a wonderful kind hearted food blogger!
    I will definitely be making this lovely salad soon and will hold your kindness in my heart as I make it. 🙂

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  13. Can you believe I’ve never tried chickpas? This colorful salad sure makes me want to try them now though. Thank you so much for stepping up and helping out a fellow src sister at the last minute. It is very much appreciated. 🙂

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    • Oh, you MUST try them! Growing up I would not get in the same room with them, but now I cannot have enough. They are earthy, dense, chewy, with such unique flavor! I am addicted.

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  18. Pingback: Top 40 Soups and Salads of 2012 | The Secret Recipe Club

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