Honey Roasted Chickpea Salad

This salad has everything I love in a proper salad. It’s sweet, salty and tangy and oh, it has a hint of heat at the back that is absolutely divine. It’s just so fresh and also totally customizable. Add more honey if you want it extra sweet or more feta if you want it a bit more salty. You could also stick to the recipe as it is and end up with a mind blowing super delicious bowl of salad.

Recipe 5 Servings

what you need

2 1/4 cups cooked chickpeas

3 tablespoons honey

Spices & Seasoning

1 teaspoon chili powder (optional but highly recommended)

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ginger powder 

3 tablespoons olive/ veg oil

Veggies

5 cups lettuce (use any leafy green you have)

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onions

2 cups chopped cucumber

Dressing

1/3 cup greek yoghurt

pinch of salt

1 big garlic clove (about a tablespoon), grated

Juice of 1/2 a lemon (add the juice a little at a time until you reach desired taste)

Extra

feta cheese, as much as your ancestors direct you to use.

more honey to serve

Tips

• When I’m making salads, I chop the veggies how I would like them to eat. If it’s a chicken salad then veggies will be chopped up a bit bigger. The main ingredient of this salad are chickpeas which are quite tiny. If you chop your veggies too big you won’t be able to have a little bit of everything in one bite. 

• Use whatever leafy green you have. You can use cabbage, spinach  or kale if that’s what you’re into.

• You can also make this completely vegan by substituting the honey for maple syrup and omitting the feta cheese. 

• Place all the veggies on a paper towel and dab them until completely dry before using it in your salad. 

• When prepping the cucumbers, remove the seeds otherwise salad will become soggy.

• I soaked my chickpea in water overnight and cooked it the next morning just until soft. You can also use canned chickpeas for this recipe. Drain then rinse under running water. Pour in a paper towel to drain excess water. You can decide to remove the skin if you wish but I didn’t because ain’t nobody got time for that.

• The amount of salt you’ll use in roasting the chickpeas depend on how salty they already are so adjust accordingly.

Directions

Preheat oven to 190C.

Combine all the ingredients for the spices & seasoning in a bowl. Add the chickpeas and gently stir until fully coated. Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread the coated chickpeas on it. Bake for 15 minutes then remove from oven then add the honey. Stir together and continue roasting for an additional 5 minutes. 

Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside in the fridge until later. When making the dressing, add a little bit of the garlic and lemon juice at a time until you reach your desired taste.

To serve, place the greens at the bottom of the bowl then add a bit of the chopped cucumber, onions and tomatoes. Top with as much chickpeas as you want then sprinkle the feta and the dressing. Add a bit more honey. Alternatively you can toss everything today and only dress when ready to serve.