Roasted Chickpea, Cucumber and Purple Sprouting Broccoli Salad

Salad isn’t a dish that is often associated with the winter weather! This one, however, is not only incredibly filling but also full of goodness to help keep you healthy and smiling through the cold season! Sprouting broccoli is an ingredient that I have used once before on my blog, but you may not be all that familiar with it. Growing during the winter and sprouting during the spring, this colourful vegetable is a great way to add nutrition and character to any meal. Although, it’s chickpeas that are the true nourishment bringer of this dish!

Chickpea Nutrition

A cup of chickpeas contains only four grams of fat and absolutely none of it is the bad kind! Add to that, that they provide a decent dose of fibre and can help to lower bad cholesterol levels while improving digestive health.

When you eat chickpeas your red blood cells benefit hugely as they are full of folate which is essential for the development of these cells.

Roasted Chickpea, Cucumber and Purple Sprouting Broccoli Salad

This is a recipe that you will definitely want to make again and again this winter season!

Ingredients

To make this salad for two people, you’ll need the following ingredients:

For the salad:

• 250g of purple sprouting broccoli
• 1 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp of paprika
• 2 tsp of cumin
• 1 small cucumber
• A handful of coriander

For the dressing:

• A handful of coriander
• 1/2 an avocado
• A small handful of pitted olives
• 1 tbsp of tahini
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 7 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
• The juice of 1 lemon

Method:

Firstly, bring a pot of water to the boil and blanch the broccoli for 2-3 minutes. While you’re doing so, preheat your oven to 180C and then spread your chickpeas out on a baking tray.

Take the pre-measured paprika and cumin and sprinkle over the chickpeas. You can then place the baking tray into the oven for approximately 25 minutes. Remember to put the broccoli to one side in a large bowl once it is blanched.

Whilst you’re waiting for the chickpeas to cook, chop your cucumber into small chunks and add it into the bowl with the broccoli. As soon as the chickpeas are ready, you can add them into this bowl also.

The dressing is equally as simple to make as all you have to do is chuck everything into your blender and blitz until you have a smooth mixture.

As soon as you have the broccoli, chickpeas and cucumber in the same bowl, you can serve onto two separate dishes and top with the salad dressing. Add a generous amount of coriander to the top of this and your salad is ready to eat!