Warm Spiced Chickpea Arugula Salad

I found this recipe on the “Favorite Recipes” page of Mark Bittman’s site last week. There are already quite a lot of recipes on my “to cook” list but I figured that if the guy who knows how to cook everything has singled this salad out as one of his favorites, it’s gotta be pretty good, right?

Plus, our arugula was just getting big enough to need thinning and this seemed like a good use for the plants that had to go bye-bye.

So I tested it out the other day and it did not disappoint. It’s got a lot going for it – the cumin seeds and ginger lend spice and flavor to the arugula’s peppery bite and the satisfying meatiness of the chickpeas and the egg. I also like the way the hot chickpeas wilt the greens a touch.

Although Bittman’s recipe calls for adding the onions raw, I cooked them in my version since I was not in the mood for bad breath raw onion. The main drawback to using cooked onion over raw is that the thin slices of raw red onion would definitely add some visual pizazz to the dish which the cooked version lacks.

I could not resist composing the salad in this wonderful new green bowl with white and yellow flowers – a birthday gift from my Aunt Katy – the colors matched so well it just seemed criminal not to…

This salad makes a good meatless main dish or a great side to accompany a mezze of yummy things like hummus, quinoa, cucumber-yogurt salad, and pickled beets. Enjoy!

Warm Spiced Chickpea Salad with Arugula
Serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main dish

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
Dash of red pepper flakes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked or drained canned chickpeas
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
4 cups arugula leaves
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 hard-cooked eggs, quartered

Directions

1. Put the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the ginger, garlic, onions, red pepper flakes, and cumin seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until the ginger and garlic are fragrant and the onion is soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then stir in the chickpeas until hot and coated in the oil and seasonings, about 3 minutes more.
2. Remove from heat and with a fork, stir in the vinegar, honey, and 1 tablespoon water. Mash a few of the chickpeas as you stir to add texture to the dressing. Put the arugula and red onion in a large bowl and toss with the warm chickpea dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately, garnished with hard-cooked eggs.
You might also like:

Or these great-looking recipes from some of my favorite food bloggers:

Mediterranean Marinated Chickpeas from Kirsten at From Kirsten’s Kitchen To Yours
Panfried Chickpea Salad from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks
Crispy Roasted Chickpeas from Jaden at Steamy Kitchen

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Mac C.

9:12AM PDT on Apr 1, 2013

looks great... thanks.

April 1
send a green star

Kath P.

4:03AM PDT on Apr 1, 2013

Sounds as good as it looks.

Debbie C.

12:18AM PDT on Apr 1, 2013

My hubby loves arugula leaves - me, not so much!

Beth W.

8:49AM PDT on Sep 28, 2012

Now I may "have" to start cooking again.

September 28
send a green star

Elaine A.

5:19PM PDT on Aug 21, 2012

I myself would not use Arugula as to me it is a very bitter green. I would substitute fresh spinach leaves but we have Humus all the time and put many different Middle Eastern spices mixed in. I love chick peas (Garbanzo beans) whole in salads as well as made into humus.