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The flavour of food made from scratch never ceases to amaze me. I’ve been on a big “from scratch” kick ever since I wrapped up the recipes for my book; thankfully, it’s no longer a battle to motivate myself in the kitchen now that I’m not in there for 12 hours a day. I’m making things like the amazing Homemade Almond Milk, ice cream (hopefully coming soon), and also taking the time to do some weekend meal prep again. Getting back to the basics with food always feels so good. Plus, it helps save a little moula too!
Dried beans are one of those foods that are so easy to prepare from scratch, but it’s one of the first things that I let slide on when I’m busy. I’m not opposed to using canned beans – they are great for quick meals – but I never regret cooking them from scratch. When I first cooked chickpeas a few years ago, I was amazed by how much the beans grow when soaked overnight. They get all plump and beautiful, much like soaked almonds. And they just taste so much better than canned beans, not to mention I find they digest easier too. I’ve been known to eat a whole bowl of fresh cooked chickpeas with just a sprinkle of Herbamare and pepper. Sometimes simple just can’t be beat.
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One of the things I struggle with when it comes to blogging is finding a balance with the recipes that I share. It’s a constant balancing act not to feature too much of this or too much of that. Not to share overly complicated recipes, but also not overly easy or obvious recipes. To share unique recipes, without making them alien or intimidating. It’s easy to overthink things, but when I remind myself to simply share food that I truly LOVE to eat on a regular basis, I hope it all falls into place. This is one of those recipes.
I’ve been on a huge lime + cilantro + cumin kick the past few weeks, but I promise this is the last one for a while. Cilantro and cumin isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (or so I’ve heard many times), so I tried a version of this recipe with parsley and I’m happy to report that it worked really well in place of cilantro. I imagine other herbs would work too. You can change up the spices if you’d like too. Who knows, maybe you will come out with your very own recipe at the end of it all. Even though the recipes I share are quite specific in their measurements, don’t be afraid to play around with them. Cooking is more of an art than a science and it’s open to interpretation on so many levels. When I first started to cook I was really scared to modify ingredients in recipes, but there’s a freedom that comes with practice. That’s when cooking really gets fun. Trust yourself.
I made this recipe for a get together last week. Whenever we have a potluck, I’m usually the “salad girl” and often the “vegan-but-you-won’t-believe-it dessert girl”. I’m known for my hearty, grain and bean based salads virtually everywhere I go. More often than not, I’m fighting my friends and family for the leftovers! This recipe received a lot of great feedback. It’s inspired by a blog favourite from a few years back; some of you might remember the cilantro lime chickpea salad. If you’ve never had minced spinach in a salad before, it’s a sneaky way to pack in a ton of greens into a salad without even realizing it. Would you believe there is a whole bag of spinach hiding in there plus over a cup of fresh herbs? It makes this high-protein recipe full of green power. Not to mention, the vitamin C in the lime juice helps with iron absorption from the iron-rich chickpeas and spinach. In fact, just 1 serving of this salad contains 45% of your daily iron requirement. Yee-haw.
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I added cucumber to my most recent batch, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The salt in the dressing made the cucumber release too much water and it was a watery mess on the bottom, which diluted the flavours. Boo, hiss. If you do add extra veggies, I suggest adding them after the fact.
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I had a couple heirloom tomatoes kicking around and I thought they’d make a pretty base for the salad. However, it’s probably not the most practical serving suggestion. For more staying power, serve it on top of a bed of grains. It’s also great stuffed into a pita and paired with my favourite Lemon Tahini Dressing. The options are endless…
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Eat Your Greens Chickpea Medley
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Yield
6
Soak time
720
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Adapted from Cilantro Lime Chickpea Salad which was originally adapted from Heather’s Dish.
Ingredients
For the chickpea medley
- 2 cups dried/uncooked chickpeas (makes 5 1/2-6 cups cooked)
- 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach
- 1 1/2 cups cilantro, large stems removed (or parsley)
- 3/4 cup red onion, chopped finely
For the dressing
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil2 garlic cloves, minced1 tsp ground cumin1 tsp maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener), or more to taste3/4 tsp fine sea salt + ground pepper, or to taste
Directions
- To cook chickpeas: Soak 2 cups dried chickpeas in a large bowl of water overnight (I find around 12 hours or a bit longer is ideal). Soaking beans makes them digest easier and it also cuts down on cooking time. Drain and rinse the beans in the morning and add to a large pot of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, uncovered, until fork tender, about 40 minutes (this will vary depending on how fresh your dried beans are). Feel free to set the timer, walk away, and go about your business!
- Rinse and drain the spinach and cilantro (or parsley). Spin until dry in a salad spinner.
- In a food processor, add the spinach and cilantro and pulse until chopped very small. You can do this in a couple batches if your processor is smaller. Add the processed spinach and cilantro, drained cooked chickpeas, and chopped onion into a large bowl and stir.
- In a small jar, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, maple syrup, and salt.
- Pour the dressing on top of the spinach chickpea mixture and stir well. Let stand for about 10 minutes (or overnight) to let the flavours develop. Will keep for a few days, or longer, in the fridge.
That looks beautiful & delicious! I’ve been eating a chickpea salad all week and looks like the trend may have to continue into next week now!
The photography in this post is stunning! You have a lot of patience to soak beans, because 99% of the time, I end up just grabbing canned and rinsing them. If you make a big batch ahead of time, do you know how long they’d be good for? I’m thinking I’d be more likely to soak them, if I could get multiple uses out of them. Thanks! :-)
Hey Heather, I find they last about 4 days in the fridge in an air tight container or jar. Otherwise, you can freeze leftovers after cooking!
You could make some soup to put some of them in and or make some hummus too! Yum!!
Soaking is no big deal. Just give them about 12-24 hrs in the refrigerator and they’re ready to cook when you are. As for excess, you can throw a handful in your salad and, voila, you have a delicious and filling protein and greens meal. You can also season them and roast them for a crunchy, healthy snack with your glass of wine or kombucha.
What a beautiful summery chickpea salad! This looks absolutely delicious!
Mmm such a healthy meal! Lovely colour too :)
I have been meaning to buy dried beans and cook them from scratch for so long! Now that I have a little more time I will definitely give it a try. I LOVE chickpeas and have been a bit of a hummus monster lately so this recipe will be a fun change.
I made your original cilantro-lime chickpea recipe and loved it so I’m sure I’ll love the extra green version!
I think your posting is perfectly balanced- I like to have more time-consuming, complex recipes alongside the simpler stuff for everyday.
What a beautiful recipe. I love making things from scratch. Its amazing how fresh things can taste.
Wow I love how many greens you’ve packed in there! And it looks just stunning on the tomatoes. :)
This is so bright and summery! I can see why people would rave over it on visuals alone much less how awesome it must taste! Yum!
I think you strike such a great balance with your recipes and it’s your blog, so you get to do what you want! I actually like the really easy, perhaps bordering on obvious recipes :) generally I have those ingredients! Have a great weekend, Angela!
So colorful and beautiful, Angela! I love all the rainbow-bright colors! Tomatoes are something I eat almost every single day of the year and it’s always nice to see recipes with them!
And if your plate/platter is from Anthro, I think I have the dinner plate (round) one. I love the platter and want it now!
Yes I think it is from Anthro! Love their dishes.
I am so lazy when it comes to just opening a can of chickpeas. You’ve inspired me to cook my own this weekend. I might even make some falafel with coriander and cumin! Yum. Xxx
that sounds like a good plan ;)
what an absolutely gorgeous recipe!! I love all the colors!
I really want to get into the routine of soaking my beans. I have a ton of dried ones that look so pretty in their mason jars all lined up on the shelf, but I don’t plan ahead and end up resorting to the canned ones. This salad looks delicious! Gorgeous photos!
Do you still use dried kombu when cooking your beans? I’ve tried it a few times but the kombu ends up breaking apart and getting green gunk over all my beans that I can never seem to completely rinse off.. Any suggestions?
I do on occasion, but I don’t always remember to add it in. To be honest, I don’t know if I’ve noticed a big difference when using it. I’ll have to pay more attention next time. I would suggest rinsing the beans after using it – I don’t recall having that problem with it leaving a residue, but a good rinse should take care of it.
goodness, those heirlooms are pretty! i’m with ya on getting back to being motivated to cook. we’ve been renovating our kitchen this summer. there hasn’t been space or energy left for me to get creative in the kitchen. after this little break though, i am so excited & inspired to get back in there & try some new things.
Mmm this sounds like a great dish =) I love how you served it on top of a bed of tomatoes – yum!
Yee-haw for iron! This looks like all kinds of delicious and healthy. I love it!
I’m ashamed to admit I have yet to cook with dried and soaked chickpeas. I’m always lazy and buy Eden’s canned version but I should try to cook more from scratch and buy them dried. I’m sure it makes a big difference in the final product!
I’m looking forward to trying this, it looks delicious and the perfect lunch to store in the fridge for busy work weeks. I love your recipes Angela, mostly because you use ingredients that are staples in the pantry and I can make right away!
What a beautiful salad! Gorgeous.