A salad bowl makes for a really quick and satisfying mid-week dinner or a weekend lunch. I fell in absolute love with Barbecued Chickpeas this past Summer and found that they are also marvelous in a dinner salad! This dish comes together really fast (in about 30 minutes) and is so very satisfying. It was tough to decide what I liked best about this salad; the jazzy chick peas infused with Da Kine Spicy Hawaiian BBQ Sauce, or the southwestern flair of the grilled corn, or the freshness of the avocado, whatever the choice get ready for an explosion of flavor!!
The first step is to prepare your chickpeas and corn. The chickpeas are drained and the liquid reserved to help thin the sauce later, you simply put them on the stove top with the BBQ sauce and a little of the reserved liquid, let them simmer for awhile to soften the peas and allow them to swell and absorb that luscious flavor. I used frozen corn this time, simply defrost and drain it and put it in a pan with a spritz of coconut cooking spray and a pinch of sea salt. I toasted it in that pan until the edges started to brown.
Fill the bottom of each bowl with torn romaine lettuce then build your masterpiece in quarters: tomatoes in one quarter on top of the lettuce, BBQ chickpeas one corner, Grilled corn in the another corner and fresh avocado slices in the last quarter on top of the lettuce. Drizzle on some avocado ranch dressing, either home-made or store bought. Top each salad with shredded cheddar and a few springs of fresh cilantro. Whether you eat it as is or end up stirring it all up, all the flavors go together like they were meant to be. I served ours with my vegan fried rice and no one had room for seconds!
- 2 cans Chickpeas, drained with liquid reserved
- ¾ C Spicy BBQ Sauce
- 1 head Romaine Lettuce, washed and torn into bite sized pieces
- 1 C Whole Kernal Corn (I used frozen, thaw it first and drain off excess water)
- 1 pint Grape Tomatoes
- 1 Haas Avocado, pitted and sliced
- 1 C Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- ¼ bunch Cilantro, washed and stems removed
- Drain the two cans of chickpeas, reserving the liquid.
- Put the beans in a sauce pan with the spicy barbecue sauce.
- Use a little liquid from the cans to thin it, bring it to a boil and then simmer for 20-30 minutes on the stove to allow the beans to soften and swell.
- Grill your corn in a frying pan, (you can use fresh or frozen or canned – if it is frozen thaw it and drain off excess water, if canned drain the liquid thoroughly first.) Apply a spritz of cooking oil and at the pan, toss in the corn and a pinch of salt, keep it moving until it starts to brown around the edges.
- Assemble your salad bowls by starting with lettuce on the bottom, divide the bowl into quarters: in one quarter put the tomatoes, one quarter the toasted corn, one corner the barbecued chickpeas and the last corner has slices of avocado.
- Top with a drizzle of avocado ranch dressing, cheddar cheese and a few sprigs of cilantro.
- This recipe makes up four large servings and a little extra for lunch the next day.
Enjoy!
