Chickpea and Arugula Salad
This Chickpea and Arugula Salad is light and satisfying, with lots of flavor from pickled carrots, creamy balsamic vinaigrette and hearty almonds. The peppery arugula combined with cool cucumber and bell peppers makes for a refreshing salad for any occasion!
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 3/4 cups seedless cucumber chopped
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 4 servings arugula
- 1 cup pickled carrots*
Dressing
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp agave
- 1 small garlic clove grated or minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1.5 tsp dijon mustard
Instructions
- Prepare the pickled carrots (see recipe notes). The carrots will stand in the pickling liquid for 30 minutes while the rest of the recipe is prepared.
- Blend the dressing ingredients until smooth, or whisk well in a bowl.
- Once carrots have pickled for 30 minutes, remove them from the pickling liquid and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add arugula, chickpeas, bell peppers, and cucumbers. Dress lightly with the vinaigrette.
- Divide the salad between 4 serving bowls. Top with pickled carrots and almonds.
- Drizzle more vinaigrette over top, as desired.
Notes
* In a saucepan, add 1 cup water, 1/2 cup vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar, and 2 tsp salt. Heat until the liquid boils, stirring to dissolve the sugar along the way. Once it boils, pour over the thinly sliced carrots in a glass jar and let pickle during the rest of the recipe preparation. Let sit at least 30 minutes.