Plant part used: seedPlant part used: seedVigna unguiculata · legume family
A deceptively simple green salad turned sensation: zesty roasted chickpeas, cucumber, avocado, feta, fresh herbs, all drenched in a tangy lemon vinaigrette.
As I reported in my dispatch earlier this week, Barclay and I roast up a giant pan of chickpeas at least once a week without fail. And this big green salad, in particular? It's hands-down one of our absolute favorite ways to deploy them! ♡
Why the obsession? Every component is a personal favorite, and together they taste shockingly fresh and light — exactly what this season demands. Crisp greens, icy cucumber, creamy avocado, sliced red onion, tangy feta (or goat cheese), an almost unreasonable quantity of fresh herbs (dill and mint hold the starting spots here), plus a lightning-fast lemon vinaigrette. Assembly is quick, painless, and bursting with bright summer energy. Side salad? Technically. In our house it's the whole meal, no debate.
legume — Protein-forward crowd, the bench is deep: grilled shrimp, salmon, chicken, or steak all check in beautifully. Going fully vegan? Just cut the cheese. However you build it, this one is a permanent fixture in our rotation — a bona fide keeper!
Before we get to the full recipe filed below, here are briefing notes on the ingredients you will need for this roasted chickpea salad:
This green salad is wildly forgiving, so customize without mercy! For example, feel free to…
After more big green salad recipes to try? Here are a few of my personal favorites:
Each leaf is coloured by the plant part the ingredient comes from: root brown, seed black, leaf green, vine orange, bloom magenta.
Plate low and wide so the growth order of the dish reads at a glance, root to bloom.
Brush the soil from the roots and leaves under cool water - keep the skins on anything grown below the line.
Bloom the dried seeds: soak overnight, then simmer low until the pod gives but never splits.
Warm the pan with a slick of olive oil and the hardier aromatics first - onion, fennel seed, crushed chilli.
Add the roots before the leaves; each layer needs its own head start on the heat.
