Ingredients
- 15 ounce can Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 0.5 teaspoon Smoked Paprika Powder
- 0.25 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 0.25 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 4 cups, chopped Romaine Lettuce/Greens
- 1 cup, cubed English Cucumber
- 0.5 cup, cubed Green Apple
- 2, finely chopped Spring Onion
Tahini Dressing
- 0.5 cup Tahini
- 0.25 cup (more or less) Filtered Water
- 1 juicy Lemon
- 0.5 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 0.25 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Real Maple Syrup
Directions
This chickpea salad with tahini dressing is my go-to!
Chickpeas also known as garbanzo beans are packed with protein, fiber and other great nutrients.
This is why it tends to creep into most of salad recipes.
The perfect pairing is this tahini and lemon dressing. It’s simple, super creamy and has the perfect balance or savory and sweet!
If you have never used tahini before, it is a great ingredient to always have on hand.
Tahini or also known as tahina is a Middle Eastern condiment made from toasted ground hulled sesame. Think of it like a creamy peanut utter but made with sesame seeds!
It is served by itself or as a major ingredient in hummus, baba ghanoush, and halva. Tahini is used in the cuisines of the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean, the South Caucasus, as well as parts of North Africa.
The right dressing really completes the salad and I always much prefer a creamy and silk salad dressing.
As with my of my recipes, you can use any type of vegetables you like here.
I love cubed cucumber, green apples, and spring onions.
Beside the fact that this salad is visually pretty with lots of green, each ingredient has it’s purpose.
Chickpeas pair well with something crunchy and juicy.
The green apple gives this salad sweetness and tartness and the cucumber adds crunch!
Any good salad recipe should have an ‘onion’ element. If it was up to my husband, this salad would have raw red onion and lots of it because we are obsessed.
I know most are not a fan of raw onion, so a finely chopped green onion, also known as spring onion is the way to go!
Steps
1 Done | Prep The ChickpeasDrain and rinse the chickpeas well. This step is optional but recommended: Using a clean kitchen towel dry the chickpeas. Add the chickpeas to a bowl along with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika powder, 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. Mix to coat the chickpeas well. |
2 Done | Make The Tahini DressingAdd 1/2 cup of tahini to a bowl along with 1-2 Tablespoons of water. Using a fork, mix to combine. The tahini will thicken quite a lot. Add another 1-2 Tablespoons of water and mix. Continue this process until the tahini is thinned out and a bit more runny. Next, add the juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 a teaspoon of sea salt, a bit of ground black pepper and 2 teaspoons of maple syrup (or honey). Mix again and give it a taste. Adjust seasoning if needed. |
3 Done | Make The SaladGrab a big salad bowl and add the washed and chopped romaine lettuce, cubed cucumber, diced green apple, chopped spring onion and the seasoned chickpeas. Drizzle with the tahini dressing and toss well. |
11 Comments Hide Comments
Perfect for a plant-based lunch or dinner. Loved the dressing and the apple adds a really nice touch to the salad. Recommend!
Hearty yet light! So satisfying!
We’re obsessed with onions too– love all the crunchiness in here!
I love the chickpeas in this salad & the dressing is extra special!
What a delicious lunch! I love that dressing. 🙂
This is an amazingly deliscious jumble of goodness! Love the dressing
Yuuumm I’m making this tonight but with massaged kale and roasted chickpeas, wish me luck and Thank you for the inspiration ?
I make pasta salad for our food pantry volunteers each week. We have a team on Tuesday and a team on Thursday and sometimes on Wednesday. I make the first salad and keep the pasta separate for the team leader to add to the already made salad when they get ready to serve the second one. I normally just adapt a salad that I see on Pinterest and add pasta. Yours sounds great. How do you thinkIt would be if I added grapes instead of apples because of the browning. I always give credit to the original author.
Hi NeeNee! Yes, grapes sounds great! Most of my recipes are customizable 🙂
I did use your recipe and turned it into a pasta salad for the pantry volunteers. I added Craisins instead of apples because I had them on hand. It was a big hit. The dressing is terrific. I will do it again with grapes next time.
Happy to hear! Love it when you guys customize my recipes!