Falafel Spiced Chickpea Salad

I love falafel, but the idea of soaking chickpeas overnight, forming the dough, and frying them is way too much for me to handle on a workday! I love these spiced chickpeas because they have the heft and delicious flavor of falafel, but only take a few minutes to make! Because of the lemon juice in the salad base, and spiced olive oil with the chickpeas, this salad technically doesn’t need a dressing, but I love drizzling over some easy tahini dressing to make it feel more like a falafel meal.

Ingredients

1/4 Red Onion, Minced

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

1 Tomato, Seeds removed, diced

1 English cucumber, diced

1 Cup Parsley Leaves, Chopped Finely

2 Cups Lettuce of Choice (I like Romaine or Spring Mix in here), Chopped Finely

1/4 Cup Pickles, Chopped (Optional, but definitely give the falafel sandwich vibes!)

Falafel Spiced Chickpeas:

3 Tbs Olive Oil

2 Garlic Cloves, Minced

1 Can Chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry

1 Tbs Cumin Seeds

1/2 Tsp Ground Coriander

1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp Chili Flakes (optional for heat)

1/4 Tsp Chili Powder (optional for color)

Easy Tahini Dressing:

1/4 Cup Tahini

1 Garlic Clove, Minced

Juice of 1 Lemon

Salt and Pepper to taste

A few Tbs of cold water

Method.

Step 1.

Place your minced red onion in a large salad bowl. Squeeze juice of half of the lemon over the onion and stir, to mellow the sharpness and raw flavor. Add your tomato, cucumber, parsley and lettuce. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Let that sit and marinate while you make your chickpeas.

Step 2.

In a cold sauté pan, add your minced garlic. Turn the heat up to medium. Once the garlic is fragrant, add your chickpeas. Toss them in the garlic olive oil and allow them to toast for about a minute until they start to get golden. If they begin to crackle, lower the heat so you don’t get splattered by any spitting oil!

Step 3.

Once your chickpeas are golden, turn off the heat, add in your spiced and stir, allowing the spiced to bloom in the oil and coat the chickpeas. Stir for about a minute, then leave aside to cool for a few minutes so your salad doesn’t totally wilt when you drop them in.

Step 4.

While your chickpeas cool, mix together your easy tahini dressing ingredients, slowly adding in the water last, until you reach the desired consistency.

Step 5.

Add your chickpeas into your salad bowl and toss! Drizzle tahini dressing over top and enjoy!