Sprouty Chickpea Salad with Tahini Yoghurt

By Jacqueline Alwill on July 10, 2018 in Food

This month’s recipe is a bit like a waldorf salad, but with a seriously nutritious punch! Lately I’ve been enjoying just throwing in a bit of this and a bit of that, being creative with whatever is on hand to come up with some delicious, healthy salads.
Chickpeas and sprouts are the hero in this one, and you’ll be seeing sprouts popping up a lot in my recipes because they’re always on hand (and if it’s on hand it’s going in), and because these tiny sprouts are rich in proteolytic enzymes.
Proteolytic enzymes help digest protein and carbohydrates, so they are highly valuable to us in the diet, and sprouts are one of the richest sources of these.
I’ve used mung and alfalfa here, but if I had just a little bit more time I would try to sprout my own chickpeas too, but just use what’s on hand and whatever’s easy for you to bring this beauty together. There are plenty of sprouts out there to play with and integrate into your meals throughout the week, so be adventurous – broccoli sprouts will be next on my list.
You can team this salad up with a piece of protein of your choice – fresh fish or chicken would be delicious – or you can enjoy it as is, because there are plenty of lovely sources of plant-based proteins.
This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free, and serves four people as a side.

Ingredients
Sprouty chickpea salad
2 cups cooked chickpeas (about 2 tins organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained)
1 cup mung beans
½ cup alfalfa sprouts
2 cups rocket
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
¼ cup parsley leaves plus finely chopped stalks
¼ bunch basil, leaves roughly torn
3 teaspoons dried mint (optional but delicious and can be used in lots of other dressings too)
4 Asian shallots, white part finely chopped
½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
¼ cup raisins/sultanas/currants (whatever is on hand)
3 tablespoons mini capers
1 green apple, finely sliced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Sea salt and black pepper

Tahini yoghurt dressing
¾ cup Greek natural yoghurt (or use coconut yoghurt for dairy-free)
1 ½ tablespoons tahini

Method
1. In a large mixing bowl, toss together chickpeas, mung beans, alfalfa, rocket, celery, herbs, shallots, walnuts, raisins, capers and apple;
2. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar over the salad, and season with sea salt and black pepper and toss again gently;
3. In a small bowl, whisk together yoghurt and tahini;
4. When ready to serve, arrange onto a large serving bowl or platter with generous dollops of tahini yoghurt.

This wholesome recipe was kindly provided by local nutritionist and author Jacqueline Alwill, @brownpapernutrition. To order the newly launched Brown Paper Eats vegetarian, ready-made, home-delivered meals, please visit www.brownpapereats.com.