Chickpea salad (Mediterranean Diet)

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup couscous
• 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. In a large bowl, toss the diced red bell pepper, zucchini, red onion, and cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and dried oregano. Spread the vegetables on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes, until they are tender and lightly caramelized.
3. While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the couscous. In a saucepan, bring vegetable broth to a boil. Stir in the couscous, cover, and remove from heat. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
4. In a large bowl, combine the roasted vegetables, chickpeas, and fluffy couscous.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Drizzle this dressing over the salad and toss until everything is well combined.
6. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

Roasted Vegetables

● 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeasTop of Form

● 1 pound medium carrots

● 1 large red onion

● 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

● 2 tablespoons harissa plus more for serving

● 2 teaspoons honey

● 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more

● 1 (8-ounce) block feta cheese

● ½ plain full-fat Greek yogurt

● Zest and juice from ½ lemon

● Handful of fresh soft herbs, such as parsley, dill, cilantro, basil or a mix

● Handful of toasted nuts, or ¼ cup toasted seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Dump the chickpeas into a colander. Drain them but do not rinse.

3. Arrange a few layers of paper towels on a rimmed baking sheet, then pour the drained chickpeas on top. Use another paper towel to pat them dry. Discard all the paper towels, then shake the chickpeas into an even layer. There will be some chickpea skins on the baking sheet now — no need to pick them out. They’ll roast up into crispy little bits and be delicious.

4. Cut the carrots on the diagonal into ½-inch-thick slabs and thinly slice the onion. Add the carrots, onion, olive oil, harissa, honey and 1 teaspoon salt to the chickpeas and toss to coat well.

5. Roast until the carrots are golden on the outside but fork-tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processer, combine the feta and yogurt. Zest and juice the lemon into the blender and add a pinch of salt. Blend on high speed until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed, 30 to 45 seconds. If it’s too thick and your blender is having a hard time mixing, add a bit of water, a splash at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved.

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7. Chop the herbs and nuts.

8. Remove the roasted veggies from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Taste the veggies and add more salt as needed. Stir in the herbs.

9. Spread a nice spoonful of whipped feta over the bottom of a bowl or plate and top it with a pile of roasted veggies and a sprinkle of nuts. Add another dollop of harissa on top if you love spice.

Shortcut: Skip the whipped feta and just crumble some feta on top. Find pre-chopped butternut squash or sweet potatoes at the grocery store and use them instead of carrots.

Pesto alternative: Omit the harissa and honey, and instead toss a big spoonful of store-bought pesto into the veggies after they have roasted. Serve with burrata instead of whipped feta.

Adapted from “What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking” by Caroline Chambers. Published by Union Square & CoTop of Form

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