I made hummus the other day for a pool party and even though I blended up a quart of the stuff, there were still tons of chickpeas left over from the 5 pound can that I had lugged home from a nearby Syrian fast food joint.
So last night in class when things began to drag a bit I started dreaming up something to do with all those garbanzos. Something fresh, something that would also use up a few of the avocados that were slowly over-ripening on my counter. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention, and in this case it was necessary for me to avoid losing 3 dollars of expensive tropical produce just because I was tired of eating guacamole every day.
This is what I came up with. It is tasty, fresh with bright, sharp flavours that wake you up and make you pay attention. I can think of a lot of variations on this salad, so feel free to add some different spices or new ingredients. I think if you had the time that caramelizing the onions and warming up the chickpeas would create a whole new spin on this combination.
Curried Chickpea and Avocado Salad
Serves one as a meal, about 382 calories
1 cup chickpeas (about 8.4 ounces)
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 cup onion, minced
1/2 medium avocado, chopped (about 2 ounces)
salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp good curry powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4-1/2 tsp Chipotle powder (or to taste)
Juice of one lime
Procedure:
1. If the chickpeas are canned, thoroughly wash them and rinse.
2. Toss the chickpeas, minced onion, cilantro and spices.
3. Top with the cubed avocado and squeeze the lime over all. Let sit for at least half an hour to allow the flavours to meld.Labels: Salads, Vegetarian
