I have a little problem. I'm addicted to cookbooks, food writing, recipe collecting, and cooking. I have a lot of recipes waiting for me to try them, and ideas from articles, tv, and restaurants often lead to new dishes. I started losing track of what I've done. So now I'm taking photos and writing about what I've prepared—unless it's terrible in which case I forget it ever happened.
Everything about this is going to be quick. This salad was quick to make, and there aren’t many ingredients to discuss, but that’s why it’s worthy of mentioning at all. The recipe appeared in the August 2010 issue of Food and Wine as part of a story about speedy party menus. This really can be made in a few minutes time, and it really does taste more complicated than that. I believe the most challenging step in the preparation was slicing some green onions or maybe washing the arugula. But, if you arrange the salad on a big platter, it makes an incongruously grand presentation.
For the dressing, just whisk together some plain yogurt, cumin, minced garlic, lime juice, and white balsamic vinegar. Add rinsed and drained, canned chickpeas to the dressing and stir to combine. See, nothing is even remotely difficult here. Wash and spin dry some baby arugula leaves and arrange them on a platter. Top the arugula with the chickpea and dressing mixture. Slice some green onions and scatter them over the top of the chickpeas. Then, sprinkle about some roasted pumpkin seeds. That’s it, and you have a great-looking salad full of interesting flavors.
Certainly, you could use baby spinach leaves or some other kind of baby greens in place of the arugula if you were so inclined. However, since there are only a few things being put together here, they do all play important roles and arugula’s pepperiness mingled well with the cumin in the dressing. Interestingly, the salad looked huge spread out on a big serving platter, but that big platter was soon empty. Sometimes the best things are the easiest.
This salad is a keeper, Lisa. The kind of salad to make for unexpected company. I almost always have chickpeas in the pantry and yogurt in the fridge. I'd use pine nuts I guess, 'cause I always have those too!
Oh boy. I really wish I had checked in with you an hour ago. We just got back from Napa - tons of wine and rich food. Both of us wanted something light, flavorful, and healthy tonight. This would have been just the ticket!
This salad reminds me of middle-eastern meals; in all the fatteh, yogurt is added as the last layer over the chick peas and then roasted pine nuts. Kind of the same idea here, perfect for a buffet.
I picked up some chickpeas to cook, so this would be perfect. I love cumin, but only in the Indian culture have I seen a passion for it as mine...oh btw my comments are turned off, just waring, if you have come by.
I'm definitely looking for quick simple and good these days. I like how the flavors are dramatic while using just a few simple ingredients. Looks to be a classic in my book.
This looks fantastic! For some reason, salads scare me. I can never make a dressing to my liking- it's always too acidic or too bland. Hubs is a salad maestro so I usually leave it up to him. I think you've convinced me, though, that not even I could flub this one up!
Hi Lisa! Did you use 3 (19-ounce) cans of chickpeas as per the recipe? Just checking b/c it sounds like a lot. Ingredients are on my grocery list for this week! Thanks so much!
Anonymous: I actually scaled it back a little. I used two cans of chickpeas, and I think they might have been 14 oz or 16 oz cans. Hope you enjoy the salad!
Posts
Magnificent! That salad looks so tasty and irresistible. Chickpeas are my favorite legumes.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Rosa
What a wonderful salad. Cumin and chickpeas....I love them both.
ReplyDeleteThis recipe looks great!!! Can't wait to try it for the Shavuot holiday in June!!!
ReplyDeleteThis salad is a keeper, Lisa. The kind of salad to make for unexpected company. I almost always have chickpeas in the pantry and yogurt in the fridge. I'd use pine nuts I guess, 'cause I always have those too!
ReplyDeleteJust perfection! I think I remember mentally marking this recipe to try "soon" when I got the magazine, but never got to it.
ReplyDeletevery nice, loved the photos!
Like the recipes...and love the idea of cumin in the dressing. The pictures are awesome, very inviting. Have a great week Lisa :-)
ReplyDeleteA lovely salad, the cumin dressing must be so flavorful, excellent.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a huge arugula fan, but maybe this would change my mind! I love cumin - so that is what sold me!
ReplyDeleteOh boy. I really wish I had checked in with you an hour ago. We just got back from Napa - tons of wine and rich food. Both of us wanted something light, flavorful, and healthy tonight. This would have been just the ticket!
ReplyDeleteIt does look delicious and with my new enjoyment of chickpeas this is something I want to make!
ReplyDeleteSuch a healthy looking salad.
ReplyDeleteThe creamy chickpeas look divine. I bet they would be awesome stuffed into a pita, too, with slices of crisp cucumber.
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly the kind of salad that I could eat in bulk! Love the chickpeas, the dressing...all of it!
ReplyDeleteThis salad reminds me of middle-eastern meals; in all the fatteh, yogurt is added as the last layer over the chick peas and then roasted pine nuts. Kind of the same idea here, perfect for a buffet.
ReplyDeleteI picked up some chickpeas to cook, so this would be perfect. I love cumin, but only in the Indian culture have I seen a passion for it as mine...oh btw my comments are turned off, just waring, if you have come by.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa for the helpful hint on my Pad Thai. This dish looks delicious, I love garbanzo beans, easy to make also.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely looking for quick simple and good these days. I like how the flavors are dramatic while using just a few simple ingredients. Looks to be a classic in my book.
ReplyDeleteThis looks fantastic! For some reason, salads scare me. I can never make a dressing to my liking- it's always too acidic or too bland. Hubs is a salad maestro so I usually leave it up to him. I think you've convinced me, though, that not even I could flub this one up!
ReplyDeleteThis is a GREAT salad! I never would have thought to make this!
ReplyDeleteMary xo
Delightful Bitefuls
This really is everything and more I could wish for from a perfect plate of food. It sounds so good!
ReplyDeleteThis may be easy to throw together, but the flavors sound great, and it does look beautiful on that platter! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletelovely salad, we love chickpeans and this would be a perfect dinner treat!
ReplyDeletestunning platter
sweetlife
This looks fabulous! Thanks so much for sharing, can't wait to try it! =]
ReplyDeleteLove this very healthful salad!
ReplyDeletecumin has such a powerful flavor, and i think that'd be welcome in a salad such as this. lovely and tasty work, lisa!
ReplyDeleteLove how you mixed cumin in the cream! Sounds great!
ReplyDeleteThe salad looks terrific! I love the combination of chickpea and arugula in salads.
ReplyDeleteThis is my kind of salad! The dressing sounds particularly lovely.
ReplyDeleteMMmmmm love both chickpeas and arugula but I never know how to dress them up. Bookmarked this fantastic, flavorful, creamy dressing!
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa! Did you use 3 (19-ounce) cans of chickpeas as per the recipe? Just checking b/c it sounds like a lot. Ingredients are on my grocery list for this week! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: I actually scaled it back a little. I used two cans of chickpeas, and I think they might have been 14 oz or 16 oz cans. Hope you enjoy the salad!
ReplyDelete