My obsession with chickpeas is something I openly endorse and am actually VERY proud of. Chickpeas are possibly (probably?) my favourite ingredient to create recipes with. They are absolute nutritional powerhouses – packed full of plant protein,  fibre (which most of us don’t get enough of by the way!), and some key vitamins and minerals too. I have made MANY recipes with them, and this salad is the follow-up savoury creation as part of my recipe collaboration series with my friend and trainee dietitian Cliona (@fuelingthefitlife). Our sweet choice was these Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies, which I hope you loved as much as we did!

So this salad is a celebration of it’s key ingredient (chickpeas!) as well as summer itself. My family and I love getting the barbeque out for those sunny long evenings, and it’s made me want to up my salad game big time! This recipe is also perfect for a ‘meal prep’ style dish you can make ahead for work lunches. The tahini in the dressing was an obvious choice for me – another foodie obsession of mine! This is a bit of a ‘Buddha Bowl’ style salad, one of my favourite ways to combine delicious ingredients for a tasty quick meal!

Recipe (Serves 4) 

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (for the chickpeas)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin (for the chickpeas)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (for the sweet potato)
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red onion
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1 bag of Kale, stems removed and leaves washed

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C (fan oven), and line two baking trays with tinfoil. Grease the tinfoil with a little bit of the olive oil.
2. Place the chickpeas into a small bowl, and add 1 tbsp olive oil, the cinnamon and cumin as above. Mix until the chickpeas are coated, then tip them onto one of the trays.
3. Chop and de-seed the pepper, then peel and chop the red onion, and add those to the first tray too.
4. Wash and slice up the sweet potato into 1-2 inch chunks, and place these into a separate bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and the 1 tsp of cinnamon, and stir until the chunks are coated, then add those to the second baking tray.
5. When the oven is ready, place both trays into it, and then it’s time to multi-task! You’re gonna roast your sweet potato for 25 minutes, and the chickpeas/pepper/red onion for 15, turning halfway.
6. Add the kale leaves to a large bowl (this will be your big salad bowl), and set aside.
7. Dressing time! Combine the tahini, lemon juice and 1 tbsp olive oil in a small bowl.
8. Remove both trays from the oven when done, and leave to cool for a few minutes.
9. Add to the kale – chickpeas, peppers and red onion, and finally, the sweet potato.
10. Using salad tongs, toss the ingredients.
11. Finally, pour the dressing on top, toss once more and you’re done!

Enjoy guys! This is possibly my favourite salad recipe on my blog to date – so I hope you love it just as much! Tag me if you try it out – @theirishbalance on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook!

Ciara 🙂 x