If you like hummus you’ll love this Roasted Chickpea Kale Salad – chickpeas are lightly spiced and roasted until crispy and then tossed in a bed of massaged kale and topped with a creamy tahini dressing. This salad takes all of your favourite hummus flavours and combines them into one simple, yet tasty salad. | Vegan + Gluten Free

Roasted chickpeas are such a treat! They’re so nutty, crunchy and wholly addictive not to mention super easy to make. Adding them to a kale salad like this one is my way of being able to enjoy them without eating too much. Topped off with this creamy tahini dressing – basically a hummus without blended up chickpeas – this salad is an absolute dream!

You can enjoy this as a filling salad for lunch or a light dinner or serve it as a side salad to a larger meal. The hummus vibes pair well with Mediterranean flavours. You can enjoy this in a gluten free wrap with chicken (or tofu if you need to keep this vegan) or with a few pieces of pan fried halloumi thrown in the mix.

Why massage the kale?

I know it sounds kind of stupid and high maintenance but hear me out: it’s really easy to do and makes a world of difference in the finished taste and texture of your salad. Gently rubbing the kale with a bit of oil before serving helps soften the hard leaves making them not only more tender but also less bitter. Without this crucial step your kale will remain tough and scratchy.

All you need is about 30-60 seconds and about a tablespoon of olive oil. I also like to sprinkle a little sea salt in as well but that’s because I think salt makes everything taste at least 5% better. As an added bonus your hands will be nice and soft too!

What to make with leftover chickpea brine?

Aquafaba: are you familiar with it yet?!

Basically the gist of it is that aquafaba = bean water. It’s the goopy brine/water you find in cans of beans. So all that weird bean water that you and I once use to pour down the drain actually has the ability to replace eggs in some instances. Don’t dump it out anymore! Save it, freeze and be in awe of it!

Here are a few recipes you can make once you finish making this chickpea kale salad:

• Vegan Chickpea Brownies
• Aquafaba Chocolate Mousse
• Espresso Martini Chocolate Mousse
• Vegan Meringue
• Gluten Free Baked Donuts

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Recipe

Roasted Chickpea Kale Salad with a Creamy Tahini Dressing

Yield: 6-8 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes

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If you like hummus you'll love this Roasted Chickpea Kale Salad - chickpeas are lightly spiced and roasted until crispy and then tossed in a bed of massaged kale and topped with a creamy tahini dressing. This salad takes all of your favourite hummus flavours and combines them into one simple, yet tasty salad.

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 very large bunch of kale, ribs removed and chopped into bite sized pieces
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 cans chickpeas (400 g each) rinsed and drained
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp paprika (can be smoked, sweet, hot or just standard paprika)
• 1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

Tahini Dressing

• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp salt or to taste

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

Chickpeas

1. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
2. Spread the chickpeas across 2 large two baking sheets and pan them dry with a kitchen towel or paper towel.
3. Add one tablespoon olive oil to each pan along with 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon paprika (to each pan). Use your hands to rub the chickpeas well in oil and spice. Make sure to coat everything evenly. Spread the chickpeas back out so that they aren't too crowded together.
4. Place the chickpeas in the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes. About halfway through cooking, take the pans out to stir and rotate in the oven for a more even roast. After 30-35 minutes your chickpeas should be golden and crunchy.
5. To make the dressing add all of the ingredients to a small bowl or jar and whisk until combined.

Salad

1. While the chickpeas are roasting prep the salad: place the chopped kale in a large salad bowl. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle a small pinch of the salt over the kale. Use your hands to rub the hard kale leaves with your fingers by lightly scrunching big handfuls at a time. After about a minute the leaves will get softer and darker.
2. Make the tahini dressing by mixing together all of the dressing ingredients together in a small cup or jar until fully combined. Taste and season adding more salt or lemon juice if you see fit.
3. After the chickpeas have finished roasting, add them to the salad bowl along with the 1/4 cup pepitas.
4. Pour the tahini dressing over the top and toss to combine, coating everything in the tahini.
5. For crunchy chickpeas, enjoy this salad right away or keep in the fridge up to 4-5 days. The chickpea will no longer be crunchy but the flavours will be just as good.
   

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: Salads Cuisine: Mediterranean

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