Full of crunch, colour & flavour.
I love salads all year round. I mean, why limit salads just to the warmer days of the year? sometimes you just need to balance out the heavy stews, casseroles and pastas you have during winter with something lighter. What I love about many salads is the chance for my kids to eat raw vegetables. After all, raw means full of nutrients and goodness which are great for small growing bodies. Given it’s winter, I’ve had to get creative in salads we have such as this chickpea salad.
Lately, I’m finding the supermarkets are stocking overpriced lettuce and the quality hasn’t always been wonderful. Besides, salads don’t have to be limited to leafy greens. There are so many other wonderful salad recipes out there that are full of flavour, colour and crunch. This chickpea salad recipe is one of those.
Chickpeas are a great source of both protein and fibre. They are low in fat and full of other great nutrients. You don’t need to cook up chickpeas from the dried form. At under $1 per can of chickpeas, they are perfect to have in your pantry for a quick and easy meal. Just a quick rinse and they’re good to go. You may have noticed I’ve been on a chickpea journey of late which includes this recipe for crunchy roasted chickpeas you can also try. Honestly, if you haven’t been introduced to the humble chickpea you are missing out!
While you can use any store-bought vinaigrette, the one in the recipe below is super easy to make and light in flavour. Just a shake in a tight sealed container or jar is all that’s needed to combine all ingredients together. Then just drizzle it lovingly on top of the salad. I recommend you refrigerate the salad for an hour before serving but if you’re short in time, serve immediately. It just means the chickpeas and vegetables won’t have had a chance to absorb the dressing.
Want another delicious recipe?
If you like this recipe, you’ll also love others available here. From pastas to risottos, cookies to desserts, and bliss balls to gluten-free options with everything in between. There is truly something here for everyone. I have developed this website to provide family-friendly recipes where I maximise both fresh produce while minimising cost.
Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- ½ lemon
- 420 g chickpeas drained, (1 can)
- ¼ cup red onion, cut into small chunks
- 2 cups tomatoes, diced
- 2 cups cucumber, diced
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ¾ cup red capsicum, diced
Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Cut avocado into cubes and place in bowl. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon over the avocado and gently stir to combine.
- Add remaining salad ingredients and gently toss to combine.
- To make the salad dressing, add all ingredients into a small jar or container with a tight-sealing lid. Shake together to combine and then drizzle over the salad.
- Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.