Based on the beloved blog recipe, The Best Lentil Salad Ever (which is also a cooking video here!), I decided to shake it up one day and make it with leftover chickpeas and the results were truly wonderful. I hope this serves as inspiration for you to use my recipes as templates to mix and match, be creative, and play!
The Best Chickpea Salad Ever
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 1 cup / 140g dried currants sub with raisins or other dried fruit
- ⅓ cup / 40g brined capers
Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup / 80ml cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup / 60ml apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp. strong mustard
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- ½ tsp. turmeric
- ½ tsp. ground coriander
- ½ tsp. ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves
- ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
Optional add-ins:
- Arugula
- Walnuts
- Goat cheese
- Fresh herbs: flat-leaf parsley cilantro, basil
- Sprouts
- Crispy seasonal veggies
Directions
- Soak chickpeas overnight in plenty of water, with a splash of apple cider vinegar. Place drained and rinsed chickpeas in a pot and cover liberally with water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Check chickpeas for doneness after 45 minutes, but they could take 60+ minutes in total. You will know they are cooked if they are no longer chalky / dry-tasting but moist, tender, and creamy. It's easier to undercook them than overcook them!
- While the chickpeas are simmering, make the dressing by placing all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake vigorously to combine.
- Finely dice red onion – the salad is best if all the ingredients are about the same size. If using raisins, chop them roughly to make them a bit smaller, and do the same with the capers if they are large.
- When the chickpeas are cooked, remove from heat, drain and place under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled slightly but still a little warm, place chickpeas in a large serving bowl and toss with dressing. Add other onion, capers, and currants. If using other add-ins such as herbs, greens, or cheese, wait until just before serving. Otherwise, this salad can hang out in the fridge for several days – I think it just gets better and better!
