The final amazing meal in this Prep Ahead Week 4 menu is Moroccan Chickpea Salad. This salad features chickpeas marinated with dried apricots in a garam masala sauce. It is then added to greens and steamed rapini. The salad is served with Seasoned Pita Wedges and is completely unique and delicious.
The sweetness of the apricots mingled with the spices from the marinade, meld perfectly with the bitterness of the rapini. There is plenty of sauce to act as a marinade and a dressing and everything is whole foods plant-based.
I loved this salad and even my husband, who does not care for fruit in his savory dishes, loved this as well. The almonds add a light crunch and the pita wedges help scoop everything up.
This is very easy to throw together on the Prep Ahead menu, but in this case, I recommend allowing the chickpeas to marinade overnight.
Moroccan Chickpea Salad
Serves 4
Marinade ingredients:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon tahini
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon sweetener
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup parsley (1/4 bunch), minced
1/4 medium onion, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (about 2 cups, cooked)
1 bunch rapini (or see below for substitute)
Marinade chickpeas
3/4 cup almonds or 1/2 cup pepitas
2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
4 pita breads.
1 tablespoon vegetable broth
1. In a medium storage container, combine the lemon juice, vegetable broth, tahini, garam masala, smoked paprika and sweetener. Mix very well. Add the apricots, the parsley, the onion
and the chickpeas. Mix well and cover. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Steam until tender, about 5 minutes, and chop.
3. Taste and adjust seasoning of marinated chickpeas.
4. Toast the almonds, if desired. Chop the almonds (not pepitas).
5. Divide lettuce among 4 bowls. Add the steamed rapini. Add the chickpea salad and the almonds.
6. Brush the pitas with the broth. Season with salt and pepper. Add to a baking dish and broil until toasty. Cut into wedges. Serve the salad with the pita.
Substitute 1 bunch watercress for the rapini. Do not steam the watercress. Add it on top of the romaine lettuce.
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