Veggie Overload Chickpea Salad… The Story of Many Cravings
The night this one came to life, I had a major craving for a crazy refreshing salad, loaded with big chunks of crispy, fresh bell peppers, thick pieces of crunchy cucumbers and TONS of creamy, nutty chickpeas.
It felt like it had been AGES since I’d had chickpeas. Well, at least months. And I don’t usually go that long without eating chickpeas.
Call me weird, but I happen to LOVE them. I always have a hard time controlling myself when I’m around freshly cooked chickpeas. You can be certain that, whenever I make a batch, you’ll catch me more than once grabbing a handful right out of the pot while they are cooling down.
I just can’t resist. They’re worse than potato chips!
So anyway, the chickpeas had been cooked and cooled and the recipe for the salad I’d been imagining was pretty much complete in my mind. I had painted a perfect picture and was good and ready to have it come to life.
But then, something happened. I got a sudden, irresistible craving for Brussel sprouts.
You read that right.
Brussel sprouts.
The main problem was, there were none to be found in my refrigerator… and I’d already made plans to eat that chickpea salad for dinner…
Pffft. No biggie. I was not going to be defeated that easily.
Brussel sprouts I wanted, Brussel sprouts I was gonna have.
I jumped in my car and went to not one, not two, but THREE different stores until I finally found one that carried some. And now that I had them they were going to be in the picture, trust me. The other ingredients had better be nice and make room for them.
To create a diversion, I also decided to extend an invitation to a bunch of broccoli florets. I figured their cute little curly heads would draw the attention away from the poor disesteemed cabbage buds.
My plan worked perfectly. Everybody got along just fine. The tiny cabbages went completely unnoticed, as though they’d belonged all along. The painting turned out perfect!
Even better than I had originally planned!
You know what I just got a sudden craving for now?
RADISHES!
Oh, they would be so glorious in that salad. I would definitely add some if I was to redo it now!
Yep, even if this means I’d have to hit the store(s)!
So, I have a question for you guys…
Do you also get crazy, sudden cravings like that? Cravings so strong that you HAVE to satisfy them right then and there? What do you normally crave when that happens?
Veggie Overload Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 5 cups cooked chickpeas, cooled (you will need 2 cups dry)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 250 g broccoli heads, steamed and cooled
- 300 g brussel sprouts, cut in half, steamed and cooled
- 1 medium cucumber, skin on, cut into roughly 1" chunks
- 2 to matoes, cut into roughly 1" chunks
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 cup fresh mint, chopped
- The juice of 2 limes
- 1 tsp Himalayan salt
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp sumac
- 2 tbsp za'atar
- 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 tbsp Sherry vinegar
- 1 tspp Sambal Oelek
Instructions
- Start by cutting the broccoli into little bite size florets and the Brussel sprouts in half. Cook them over a steam bath for 2-3 minutes, just to make them a little bit more tender and bring out their beautiful green color.
- Quickly stop the cooking by plunging them in a bowl of icy cold water. Drain and set aside.
- Prep the rest of the vegetables and add to a large mixing bowl, along with the cooked chickpeas.
- In a separate bowl, mix the salt, pepper, lime juice, sumac, za'atar, sherry vinegar and Sambal Oelek. Whisk until well incorporated and pour over reserved salad.
- Add broccoli and Brussel sprouts and toss delicately until well combined.
- Serve immediately.
- This salad will keep in the refrigerator for one or two days.
Notes
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13 Comments on “Veggie Overload Chickpea Salad… The Story of Many Cravings”
To create a diversion, I also decided to extend an invitation to a bunch of broccoli florets. — Ha! Love that line! This salad looks wonderful… chickpeas are just those type of foods that taste so good, you just can’t stop grabbing two here, three there…
As for cravings… hmm… when I’m sick, I really start to crave miso soup. ItÊ»s my comfort food. And I can eat sushi every single day. LOVE the stuff!
Oh, miso soup! LOVE that… haven’t made myself one in such a long time. I get the feeling that it’ll be on the menu very soon, now. I love sushi too. I just wish it came in a “brown rice” variety…
And you can grab “JUST” one or two or three chickpeas, you? Boy, I wish I could do that. I grab one and I’m toast! I have to have one or two dozen! Worse than chips, I tell ya! 😉
This looks amazing!!! I am dying to make this, but where do you find sumac and za’atar? As for cravings, I am craving THIS recipe and need to have it right now!! lol
I get my sumac and za’atar at Ethnic Food Stores. Most will carry them… They are not absolutely necessary in the recipe, but I have to admit that they add A LOT of flavor. Those 2 spices are definitely worth researching. Now that I have discovered them, I use them all the time.
Glad to hear you like the recipe THAT much. Hope you like it just as much when you actually get to eat it! Make sure you let me know… 😉
I too am obsessed with chickpeas. I am loving them right now roasted with olive oil and spices. I roast a whole can to use in recipes and end up eating the whole thing by the handful! This salad looks yummy. Thanks for sharing!
Ooooh, roasted chickpeas! Those are insanely addictive. Can’t make them too often because I have a really hard time controlling myself when they are around. Still, they are a great healthy snack to have!
Ah, great… now you just gave me another craving! Thanks for that! 😉 😀
I love that this salad is chock full of veggies, including brussels, an has chickpeas as well. Even better is that it is meat free. I can’t wait to try this one.
Aren’t Brussels unbelievably good? And they go gloriously well with chickpeas. I think I could just mix the two of them together, add a splash of balsamic, sit down with a huge bowl and just wolf the whole thing down. No meat required here, thank you very much! 🙂 Hope the salad’s to your liking, T!
If you want a protein kick add some quinoa to that salad. Going to make this tonight!
Can i make a huge batch and just store it in the fridge? How long can i store this in the fridge? 😀 <3
This is already a fairly big batch, Sheena… If I were you, I’d start with a single recipe, and if I really, really liked it, then I’d consider making a larger batch, especially since it will not keep for more than one or two days in the fridge, at most!
What do you mean by cooked chick peas? Roasted?
You can cook them whichever way you prefer, Nina! I used to soak mine overnight and then boil until tender.