Mediterranean Chickpea Salad | Healthy MealTime Companion
Soft and juicy chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, and cucumber paired with healthy and nutritious olive oil and mustard oil dressing make a very hearty salad that we call Mediterranean chickpeas salad.
I often change my diet plan because of boring protein flavors, but this chickpea salad has become my best companion for the last two weeks. And guess what! I’ve also included red beans to catch the high iron and protein.
Nonetheless, things can be changed; you can add Kalamata olives instead of red beans or go with red wine vinegar instead of white vinegar. But this Mediterranean Chickpeas salad tastes so satisfying and hearty that I use it thrice a week.
Why Does This Chickpea Salad Win Your Heart?
- Satisfying Experience: The pleasant nodes from olive oil and mustard oil feel much better to the palate and give a mellow and subtle taste.
- Nutritious: This Mediterranean Chickpea salad holds a huge nutritious value. Everything in the bowl is healthy for your health. Especially if you’re struggling to get in a fit shape, this chickpea salad is literally a life-saving option for you.
- Versatile: I know you hate boiling chickpeas, but no worries; use canned chickpeas to save time. Adding olives or red beans is another best way to elevate the nutritious value of the salad. Further, you can alter a few things for dressing, like, instead of mustard oil, just mustard cream, etc.
- Easy To Make: No need to master advanced culinary skills to craft this Salad. You just need two bowls, one mixing spoon, and your hands.
Related Post: Classic Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
- Chickpeas: I’m using boiled chickpeas because they are fresh, and you can easily make them juicy according to your preference. However, you can opt for canned chickpeas to save time.
- Red Beans: This is an optional ingredient, but I’m a big fan of these iron-rich beans. Who doesn’t want to strengthen their bones? So, use these savory red beans.
- Tomatoes: I always use Roma tomatoes because they have fewer seeds. But if you’re using a globe or any other type, use them in the deseed form. I’m cut them in small wedges, but round shapes also look more appealing over this salad.
- Cucumber: OMG! I love cucumber; it’s so much a refreshing ingredient; it moisturizes the salad and makes it more savory.
- Olive & Mustard Oil: Asian people love olive oil because of its hidden health benefits. Mustard oil is also the best source of omega-3 fatty acids, spreading a pungent flavor in the salad. Vegetable and Avocado oils are two alternatives to olive oil.
- Herbs: Just stick with the basics like cilantro, mint, parsley, etc. By the way, I’m also using some green onions because they were taking up extra space in my fridge for a while. Feel free to skip green onions if you don’t have them.
- Garlic Paste: A small amount of garlic makes it more aromatic.
- Cheese: I’m using minced mozzarella cheese. Feta and goat cheese are substitutes if you don’t have mozzarella.
- Lemon Juice & Vinegar: I’ve extracted some tart lemon juice. Plus, I’m using a small amount of white vinegar. You can also go for red wine vinegar if you don’t have a white one.
- Spice: No need for whole spices. Just a pinch of black pepper, some cumin seeds, and salt are enough to elevate the taste.
Let’s Make This Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Make The Dressing: Take a bowl and add olive and mustard oil to it. Toss the cumin seeds, salt, black pepper, honey, lemon juice, and mint powder. Stir it perfectly!
- Combine Veggies: Then, take a mixing bowl and combine all the veggies, cheese, minced garlic, herbs, etc. Mix them thoroughly.
- Drizzle The Dressing: Drizzle the dressing over these cute veggies and let it sit for 30 minutes. Now, at this time, the moisture from tomatoes and cucumber blends perfectly well with our dressing and gives a more pleasant and hearty taste.
Some Pro Tips
- Peel off the cucumber if the skin is rough and thick.
- Use minced onions in this salad instead of large, thin slices. This helps to distribute the flavor equally throughout the dish, and gives it an awesome appeal.
- Forgetting honey is a big mistake. It infuses some sweet nodes in the salad and makes it so umami and nuanced.
- You can use canned chickpeas instead of boiling them separately. This will save you time and speed up the process.
FAQs
How To Serve It?
This salad pairs perfectly with any of your main dishes. I’m Asian, and we often use salads with our substantial meals, like chicken karahi, biryani, or any beef recipe.
This salad is also a perfect appetizer and could be used before a pre-workout.
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Soft and juicy chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, and cucumber paired with healthy and nutritious olive oil and mustard oil dressing make a very hearty salad that we call Mediterranean chickpeas salad.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chickpeas (13 ounces)
- ½ cup Red beans (8 – 10 ounces)
- 1 Cucumber
- 1 Roma Tomato
- ½ cup finely chopped White Onion
- 1 small cup of green onion
- 1 small cup of cilantro
- ½ tbsp Garlic paste
- 3.5 ounces mozzarella cheese
Dressing:
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp mustard oil
- ⅓ tbsp black pepper
- ½ tbsp mint powder
- ½ tbsp cumin seeds
Instructions
- First, combine all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix them perfectly.
- Take another mixing bowl and add all the other salad ingredients to it. Blend them thoroughly.
- Now add the dressing over the salad and let it infuse for half an hour.
- Garnish with fresh mint leaves and cheese. Now serve it cold!
Video
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