Author:
Kevin Curry
Spicy Roasted Chickpea Salad
If you follow me on social media, you know that my second love (to food) is sneakers. I guess you can call me a sneakerhead. What inspires me most about sneakers are the colors and the way the designers manipulate and pair them together to create something unique, beautiful, and stylish. Reminds me a lot about food and how every day we step into the kitchen to make a meal, we have an opportunity to create something magical. You don’t need to be a professionally trained cook either, you just need to love food and have respect for the individual elements each food item brings to a dish.
So, I saw these shoes online and immediately became inspired by their brilliant colorway – firetruck red, emerald green, and canary yellow…
So I started playing with my food and created this epic roasted salad…
Roast bacon on a baking rack with coconut sugar for up to 10 minutes. When the edges are crispy, it’s finished. Set aside to get hardened.
In a nonstick skillet add garlic and stir, until the garlic becomes brown. Then add the garbanzo beans, paprika, cayenne, cinnamon, and sea salt & pepper. Toss the chickpeas in the skillet and cook for 6 more minutes.
Put the green salad on a baking sheet and sprinkle it with olive oil. add some sea salt and pepper. Place in the oven for a few minutes until the outer edges of the lettuce are charred.
Remove from the oven and then make the salad. Combine 4 lettuce leaves, then add half of the garbanzo, 1 hard-boiled egg, vinaigrette, and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and sea salt and pepper. Repeat the process to make the rest. Serve immediately and enjoy.
That’s it! You need 25 minutes for this easy and perfectly refreshing chickpeas salad recipe.
Ingredients for 2 large salads:
- 2 strips bacon, center cut
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 eggs, hard (or medium) boiled, then quartered
- 2 tablespoons garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 can (150z) garbanzo, drained
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- sea salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 large Romain lettuce leaves (stacked to create 4 pieces)
- pinch of sea salt & pepper
- 4 tablespoons no oil (or reduced calorie) vinaigrette (substitute: your favorite low calorie vinaigrette)
- Garnish
- cilantro
- cracked pepper
STEPS
Step 1
Set oven to broil.
Step 2
Place bacon on baking rack or a baking tray. Sprinkle coconut sugar on the strips, then roast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes until the outside edges are dark and crispy. Set aside to cool and harden.
Step 3
Set a nonstick skillet on low-medium heat. Once hot, add garlic slices. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, continuously stirring, until the garlic becomes slightly brown and becomes “crispy.”
Step 4
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the garbanzo beans, remembering to continuously stir. Cook for 2 minutes then add paprika, cayenne, cinnamon and sea salt & pepper. Stir and gently toss the skillet to mix the chickpeas in the seasonings. Continue cooking for an addition 4 to 6 minutes, until the outside is well seared. Set aside.
Step 5
Place lettuce on a baking sheet or cast iron skillet. Lightly sprinkle with olive oil, sea salt & pepper. If needed, rub the oil on the leaves. Place in the broiler for 6 to 8 minutes until the outside edges of the lettuce are charred.
Step 6
Remove from the oven, then build your salad. On a bed of 4 lettuce leaves, add half of the garbanzo, 1 egg (sliced into fourths), your favorite vinaigrette, freshly chopped cilantro and sea salt & pepper.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hey, I'm Kevin
My name is Kevin. My life changed when I realized that healthy living is a lifelong journey, mainly won by having a well-balanced diet and maintaining an active lifestyle.
By experimenting in the kitchen and sharing my meals on Tumblr, I learned healthy eating is not boring! By making a few adjustments to my favorite foods, I could design a diet that could help me achieve my wellness goals while satisfying my desire for BANGIN food! 😅 Now I try to help people around the world realize that same level of freedom in eating regardless of budget. Welcome, let's #DemocratizeWellness together!