Spicy chickpea salsa salad

The last month has been a roller coaster of emotion.
Ok, there was one specific high and one specific low. So like a roller coaster for the easily nauseated (hi me). But I am nothing if not dramatic 😛

The high? My family came to visit! It was awesome and so much fun to have them here and spend time with them and show them around NL. But the low? Well, we had a week of extreme heat and… the fridge didn’t make it. So we were fridgeless for about 3.5 weeks. Obviously it was a very dark and trying time.

I have to say that, even though Pieter & I own our apartment, and even though making that decision was stressful, trying to choose a fridge was like NEXT LEVEL. With real estate you at least have some sort of idea of what you need, and a general understanding of what might make one thing cost more than another. But with a fridge, I feel like prices are just completely arbitrary, with two items with the exact same specifications differing by over 400 euros. You select the basics that you need in terms of size and structure etc., but otherwise you essentially put on a blind fold, spin yourself around, and then point in a random direction. Not at all exaggerating.

Anywho. Since we got our new fridge, I’ve been going WILD in the kitchen. After almost a month of carefully avoiding leftovers and buying only non-perishables, I’ve been whipping up things in BIG BATCHES: pickled beets, mango chutney, salad dressings, be still my heart! The newest addition to the family of jars & tupperware? This spicy chickpea salsa salad.

A summery recipe for spicy chickpea salsa salad - spiced oven-toasted chickpeas tossed with spicy salsa and topped off with avocado.

A summery recipe for spicy chickpea salsa salad - spiced oven-toasted chickpeas tossed with spicy salsa and topped off with avocado.

This is literally just my go-to recipe for salsa tossed with my go-to spicy roasted chickpeas, and then topped with avocado because what isn’t improved by avocado?

I woke up with a vision the other day and knew I needed to make it, and it was one of those rare cases where the result was even better than I could imagine. Maybe the new fridge has magical properties???! Stay tuned! 😛

A summery recipe for spicy chickpea salsa salad - spiced oven-toasted chickpeas tossed with spicy salsa and topped off with avocado.

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Spicy chickpea salsa salad

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 2 mains, 4 sides

Spicy chickpea salsa salad

Ingredients

For the salsa
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
juice of 1 lime
5-6 ripe tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red chili, finely diced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
big handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
salt to taste
For the chickpeas
1 can chickpeas, drained & well rinsed
1-2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
pinch of chili flakes
big pinch of salt
For serving
avocado slices
fresh coriander
extra lime wedges

Instructions

1. Start by preheating the oven to 250c/475f.
2. Put the onion into a medium bowl with the lime juice and a pinch of salt. The longer this sits, the better the onion will get as the acidity will get rid of the onion's sharpness.
3. Meanwhile, deseed the tomatoes and roughly chop them into (fairly) even pieces. Add these into the bowl as well.
4. At this point, pop the chickpeas onto a baking sheet, and use a spatula to toss them with the rest of the ingredients. Roast in the oven until toasty and slightly golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.
5. Add the remaining salsa ingredients to the bowl, then put aside on the counter until ready to eat.
6. Once the chickpeas are done, remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
7. At this point, a lot of liquid will have pooled at the bottom of the salsa bowl. I suggest draining this with a sieve to give the salad a better consistency. You can (and should!) save the liquid, though - it would be delicious in a soup!
8. Combine the chickpeas and salsa together, and check for seasoning/adjust if necessary.
9. Divide into bowls, then top with the avocado and coriander, and serve with lime wedges. Enjoy!
http://feastwithsophie.com/index.php/2016/08/17/spicy-chickpea-salsa-salad/