Saturday, October 16, 2010

"Greek" chickpea salad

I made a salad for a party and it was really good. I was going to use a recipe from the Fuhrman forums recipe site, but it called for spicy pecan vinegar and I didn't have any. Plus I thought of more things I wanted to add and just ended up changing the recipe. So it's different enough I can post it. But it was inspired by the Greek chickpea salad recipe, for those who have access and want to see it.

Here are the ingredients for a big batch that I split into a bowl for the party and a bowl for home. Halve the recipe if you want a smaller batch. Also, please note that these are somewhat random things I had in the kitchen. You don't have to follow this exactly! The main ingredients are chickpeas, romaine lettuce, some fruit, cucumber, nuts, pine nuts smashed in fresh-squeezed orange&lime juice, a little raw onion, and a little cilantro. The fruit can be whatever you want! I prefer the romaine lettuce over others because it holds up better in a dressing. You could try adding kale too.

2 cans unsalted cooked chickpeas, or 1 lb cooked dry chickpeas (soak overnight before cooking).
1/4-1/2 lb cherry tomatoes (optional--I only add fresh tomatoes if they are from my garden or one nearby)
1 small apple, peeled, cored, chopped
1 small pear, peeled, cored, chopped
1 kiwi, peeled, chopped
1/2 lb grapes, cut in half
1 cucumber, peeled, chopped
1 avocado, peeled, chopped
1 large head romaine or 2 small
1/2 fresh, mild onion
2-5 oz purple cabbage (as desired)
juice of 1 orange
juice of 1 lime
1 oz pine nuts, crushed, smashed or ground
1/4 - 1/2 cup brazil nuts, chopped
few Tbsps chopped cilantro

Mix the smashed pine nuts in the juice, or blend in a blender ( just smash and mix). Combine everything except the lettuce in a big bowl. Stir. Add the lettuce. Stir again. It's yummy.

I forgot to snap a picture. The guests loved it, so I'll be making it again and will snap a picture then.

1 comment:

Susan said...

I'm looking forward to the picture! Sounds great. I've made the recipe in the original recipe with the spicey pecan vinegar and although I liked it, I was a little underwhelmed. :-) I love pears, so I think I'll try your way with the added fruits plus pine nuts and orange and lime.