Chickpea Salad, with avocado & artichokes

I’m a salad type of girl! But when I say salad I’m not taking about a limp bit of lettuce , a couple of slices of cucumber and a halved tomato!! No No, nope! My chickpea Salad with avocado & artichokes is as far away from that as you can get! 

It also happens to be VEGAN and Vegetarian 

just look at it!

I’m talking – variety – delicious fresh ingredients and lovely lovely dressings – oh I have so many recipes 

One of my faves I recently shared on my Facebook group and everyone seemed to love it, so here it is 

Super easy – ready in 15 minutes and if you store it correctly you can also eat it the next day as leftovers for lunch 

Just look at it! 

 

 

Healthy nutritious salads – Vegan 

So this salad  I’m about to share came off the back of a juice cleanse. I wanted something really nutritious and this is 

The calories aren’t exceptionally low – due to the avocado and olive oil but sometimes it’s not just about the calories – it’s about the nutrition 

It happens to be vegetarian and now I think about it, vegan too. But that’s not why I made it! 

So lets start with the ingredients and first up 

 

Chickpeas 

I simply love chickpeas and they are so good for you. 

They are I’m sure in everyones cupboard and they are a relatively low cost  protein (approx 38% protein)

They are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and fibre

 They are also really easy to digest and I just LOVE them  

Additionally, chickpeas make an excellent replacement for meat in many vegetarian and vegan dishes

 

Sweetcorn 

Sweetcorn is delicious and sweet just like the name says

It’s a rich source of Vitamin C 

Sweetcorn also contains carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin – which are all (apparently ) great for eye health – eye eye!! 

 

Artichokes 

Stick with me here! Jarred artichokes in oil are THE BEST addition to salads ever – I simply love them 

A small portion of the oil they come in,  also is a major part of the self made dressing! 

Usually chargrilled and in olive oil, you should find them in the supermarket near all the other antipasti jarred stuff 

(as a side note – I can eat them out the jar 🙂 but with the other half you have left you can pop them of pizzas too – delicious) 

Also artichokes are rich in fibre, vitamin, minerals and antioxidants 

 

Avocado 

Oh I love an avocado! And yes I know they are high on points, or syns or cals.

BUT they are also incredibly healthy with all the right kind of fats (and remember we do need some fat in out diet) The fat in an avocado are monounsaturated fats – they are the good kind  – in moderation – obviously 

A standard avocado contains 320 ish calories and thus we should not eat too many of them 

However they are also very nutrient dense with folate (folic acid), vitamin C & K 

They are delicious in my humble opinion!! 

 

Cherry Tomatoes, Peppers, baby Gem lettuce 

And all the other ingredients are also packed with nutrients and fibre too 

I believe the more colour present in a food dish the better it is for us – a sort of an ‘eat the rainbow moment’  

 

 

Can I add other things to my Chickpea Salad? 

Yes you can – anything you fancy 

Maybe spring onions, beetroot, radishes, cucumber, anything you fancy to be honest 

Go wild 🙂 

 

How to serve your Chickpea Salad 

Well so many ways to be honest 

I often make a batch and eat half for lunch and pack the other half in an airtight container, pop in the fridge and eat for lunch the next day 

Or you can serve as a side with grilled chicken maybe

Or as a filling in a pitta bread? 

Perfect summer dining, whether that be at a BBQ or just al fresco dining 

 

How long will my chickpea salad last?  

I make it and usually eat it straight away 🙂 

Or a couple of hours in advance and pop it in the fridge covered (you don’t want your avocado going brown) 

(on that subject – make sure your lemon juice is squeezed over your avocado as you construct you salad – this helps) 

If you have left overs – pop it in an airtight container and into the fridge – it will be fine for a day. 

Any longer and it will go a bit mushy and no-one wants a mushy salad do they? 

 

The Easy Slimming Group

I also have a Facebook Closed Group called Easy Peasy Slimming Style Recipes .

Come over and join this great honest community Facebook for Easy Peasy Slimming Recipes if you’re interested

 Just use the join button if you like real home cooked tasty easy food!!

We support encourage and laugh!!Loads of tips and tricks – I promise

Oh and why not join me on Instagram – I’d love to see you there 🙂 

Enjoy 

Much Love Clare x 

 

Other tasty morsels 

If you’re looking for a meat free supper then look no further 

My delicious Mushroom Bolognese fits the bill perfectly 

Other tasty salad morsels 

I’ve gathered all my salad recipes together – that might help 

Another lovely salad recipe 

A lovely nutritious salas it’s also really tasty – Beetroot & Feta Salad with butternut squash, it’s so tasty