When it comes to salad, textures are a big thing for me. Like, seriously! I need a variety of textures AND tastes.
This is what I came up with ... and I'm drooling over the aesthetic!
Because, if I am being honest, salads are quite boring for me. So, in the creation of this salad recipe, I needed to ensure there was an element of savouriness, creaminess, crunch and of course, COLOUR!!!
While I have you hooked scrolling through this recipe, let me take this opportunity to highlight 4 key ingredients I used . . .
1) SKOTIDAKIS - Feta
I was silently screaming when I found this crumbled feta cheese on sale at Costco! This 681 g tub was only $8 at the time! It's been at least 2.5 months, and I've been eating this almost daily. It's amazing that it's organic.
2) Coconut Secret - Coconut Aminos
In the making of my Asian-style chickpeas, I grabbed this soy sauce alternative. It is simply made from two ingredients: organic coconut tree sap and sea salt. It is slightly on the sweet side, but it has a soy sauce-like flavour and appearance that I love. I got this on sale from House of Wellness but it should also be found in other grocery and health food stores.
Little goes a long way with this!
3) Chosen Foods - Avocado Oil Spray
Another great Costco find! Avocado oil is a much healthier alternative to common highly-processed and low-quality cooking oils like canola oil or corn oil. Avocado oil has a high heat tolerance and is very neutral in taste. Spray cooking oils are usually mess-free and you tend to use less than you would normally use. This particular brand has avocado oil as its only ingredient!
4) The Maple Treat - Maple Syrup
Yes, my third (and final) necessary Costco feature ingredient. Sometimes I opt for this brand's organic maple syrup but I am just as happy with their regular version. With a naturally strong maple syrup flavour and a rich dark colour, this is a must-have ingredient for both sweet and savoury recipes. I really appreciate that this is 100% pure Canadian maple syrup.
Now, let-tuce begin!!! (hehehe get it?)
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 12-20 mins
Total time: 17-25 mins
INGREDIENTS:
(for salad, layering order)
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 cucumber, diced
2 ripe avocados, sliced
1/4 cup feta cheese
1 Tbsp black sesame seeds
(for chickpeas)
1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
3 Tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 tsp tapioca flour (or cornstarch)
2 Tbsp vegetable broth or water
1/4 tsp salt (more if needed)
***optional:
1 fresh jalapeno sliced, seeds removed
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (plant-based parmesan)
1/4 cup kalamata olives
1 small red onion
INSTRUCTIONS:
(chickpeas)
1) Drain and rinse chickpeas 3x. Set aside.
2) Sautee garlic in oil until slightly toasted and fragrant.
3) Add in chickpeas and cook for 3 minutes.
4) Stir in coconut aminos, maple syrup, rice vinegar and salt. Cook for 3 minutes.
5) While chickpeas cook, mix together tapioca flour and vegetable broth. Pour over chickpeas.
6) Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes and stir occassionally. Chickpeas may begin to appear sticky.
7) You can stop here and let the chickpeas cool before layering it onto the salad. Otherwise read on to the last 2 steps for crunchy chickpeas.
8) Transfer the chickpeas into a preheated air fryer at 390 degrees F. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes. Shake the air fryer every 2 minutes so the chickpeas do not stick together.
9) Let chickpeas cool before layering on top of the salad.
(salad layering)
1) In a large salad bowl, first add in the shredded lettuce.
2) Next, toss in cucumber.
3) Layer on avocados.
4) Sprinkle the jalapenos and feta cheese.
5) When chickpeas have cooled, toss them all over the salad.
6) Followed by nutritional yeast and black sesame seeds.
7) ENJOY!!!
Darlene's Notes & Tips:
⭐️ Rinse and shred the iceberg lettuce. Let dry over some paper towel.
⭐️ For the dressing I opted for Panache Asian-style dressing + 2 Tbsp maple syrup I poured into the bottle. Perfect pairing!
⭐ You get a great profile of macronutrients from this salad: healthy fats from avocado, protein + carbohydrates from chickpeas, and fiber from all the greens combined.
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