Chickpea Salad

I’ve been lazy about cooking lately, but please allow me some grace. I spent the past several years actively working on a cookbook, and now that the manuscript is finished, I think I just needed a break. My creative energy has gone into the design phase instead: fonts, colors, format, all the micro decisions you take for granted. Plus, I’m cooking for one in a small kitchen with no dishwasher. Simple meals are about all I’ve got in me, which brings me to the simplest chickpea salad.

I love salads and have to eat them regularly. But I don’t always love lettuce. Is that strange? Hear me out. Not all salads need lettuce or kale or arugula. My favorite salads at restaurants are the ones that don’t come with any lettuce at all, like caprese, tabbouleh, citrus salad with beets and goat cheese, or watermelon and tomato salad with burrata. I love any salad that incorporates fruit. Add some pear, some citrus, some persimmons. Oh, and kumquat! It’s always a nice surprise to find kumquat in a salad!

Saying I don’t like lettuce in my salad reminds me of my mother, who once announced, “I want a chocolate muffin, but with no chocolate chips.” I looked at her like she was crazy. Was it her brain injury talking? Where can you find a chocolate muffin with no chocolate chips?! It’s like when she says she doesn’t like the beach because of the sand, and how she doesn’t want the sand to touch her toes. She thinks we should wear boots to the beach instead. Anyway, I digress. See? I can’t even talk about food without thinking of my mother. Hence, the memoir cookbook about her.

I came here to talk about chickpeas, and somehow we ended up at my mother’s beach preferences. Back to the salad.

I try to eat vegetarian at least three times a week, and when I do, I make sure I get my protein and iron. I always have cans of chickpeas in my cabinet because I also like to roast them, season them with Tajin, and eat them as a snack. This is an easy chickpea salad recipe, and you can serve it with additional protein on the side. I didn’t measure, so I’m sharing a loose recipe for your inspiration and modification.

Serves about 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 1 long English cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• ½ cup of diced red onion

• shallots, optional (I had them on hand so I just threw them in)

• ¼ cup of diced pepperoncini

• ½ cup of fresh dill, roughly chopped

Dressing (I eyeballed these amounts, so taste and adjust as needed):

• about ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil

• about 2 Tbsp white vinegar

• 1 Tbsp pepperoncini juice

• 1-2 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tsp oregano

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• ½ tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 garlic clove, minced, optional

Directions:

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Combine the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss.

Optionally, add protein to your salad (like rotisserie chicken) or serve the salad over labneh or Greek yogurt.

Mango Quinoa Salad

Even though it’s June in Los Angeles, it doesn’t quite feel like summer yet. The days have been gloomy and chilly still. But just because the weather doesn’t cooperate, it doesn’t mean you can’t get yourself in the mood with some light summery food! I love fruit and any salads that incorporate it in some way. I’ve been making this Mango Quinoa Salad for the last decade but have never taken the time to write down the recipe. It’s light and refreshing. If you want, you can add protein to it. It’s best eaten fresh. If you have leftovers, it can dry out a little bit overnight and might require you to add a splash more lemon juice, EVOO, and sesame oil the next day to liven it up.

MANGO QUINOA SALAD (serves 3-4 as a side)

·       2 cups cooked quinoa

·       1 cup of cubed mango

·       ¼ cup diced red onion

·       ¼ cup diced Campari tomatoes

·       ½ cup diced cucumber

·       ¼ cup chopped cilantro

·       Extra Virgin Olive oil

·       ½ tsp salt

·       2-3 tsp sesame oil

·       1 lemon juiced

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix and serve!

Wood Ear Mushroom Salad

I pretty much love every kind of mushroom that exists.  I haven't met a mushroom I haven't liked.  And I love mushrooms in EVERYTHING. 

Wood ear mushrooms are a little bit new to me.  I've had it in a lot of Asian dishes at restaurants but I haven't really cooked much with it myself.  This week, I thought I would try something new so I picked up a package of fresh wood ear mushroom at the Korean market while I was doing my weekly Asian grocery shopping.  I have recently used these mushrooms in a stew, but this time, I wanted to make an appetizer salad similar to the Taiwanese version that I've had at Pine & Crane in Silverlake.  

Verdict: Pretty delicious!  Slightly sweet, slightly sour, with a lot of crunch!  My recipe could probably serve 4 as an appetizer, but I ate the whole thing myself!

Wood Ear Mushroom Salad (Serves 4 as an appetizer or side)

·      3 cups of fresh wood ear mushroom, cleaned and coarsely chopped

·      2 birds eye chili, diced

·      1 garlic clove, minced

·      ½ cup of cilantro, diced

·      3 tbsp rice vinegar

·      1 tbsp soy sauce

·      1 tsp sesame oil

·      ½ tsp sugar

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Throw in mushrooms and boil for 10 minutes.  Then rinse mushrooms off in cold water and drain.  Repeat this step a couple of times.  In a bowl, mix together the other ingredients with the mushrooms and stir thoroughly.  Let sit in fridge for about 30 minutes before serving.

Mayo-Free Chicken Curry Salad

Chicken curry salad is one of my favorite salads.  I first discovered this salad at Urth Caffe on Melrose when I moved to LA about 12 years ago.  I have been wanting to recreate this dish for awhile now.  It wasn't until I returned from a rejuvenating yoga retreat in Costa Rica this past summer that I finally felt inspired to make it myself.  The yoga retreat provided us with all of our meals during our stay.  AND they were all healthy, gourmet dishes!  For lunch one day, we had a chicken salad that was made with greek yogurt and avocado instead of mayo.  It was SO delicious that I had to create a version of my own.  I hope you like it!

MAYO-FREE CHICKEN CURRY SALAD (Serves 4)

Ingredients

·      2 cups cooked chicken breast, cut into cubes

·      ¼ cup finely diced red onion

·      ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions

·      1/3 cup golden raisins

·      ½ cup celery, vertically halved and then diced

·      ½ cup sliced red grapes

·      ½ cup of greek yogurt

·      1 avocado

·      3 tbsp lemon juice

·      1 tbsp olive oil

·      2 tsp honey

·      1 tsp salt

·      1 tbsp curry powder

·      dash of pepper

Directions

In a large bowl, mix chicken, celery, grapes, onions, scallions, and raisins. 

In a separate bowl, mash 1 whole avocado with a fork.  Blend in greek yogurt.  Add olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt, curry powder, and pepper and mix thoroughly.  If the mixture is too thick, add more olive oil and lemon.

Combine the avocado-greek yogurt mixture with the chicken medley.  Serve over a bed of mixed greens, use it in a sandwich, or eat it with lettuce wraps.