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Warm winter kale chickpea salad. Made with fresh kale, warm roasted chickpeas, savory apricot vinaigrette, and pomegranate seeds.
Okay, we thought we would never be those people that say this, but we could literally eat this salad every day of our lives and never get tired of it. That may sound a little extreme, but once you try it, you will seriously be obsessed.
The Inspiration Behind the Warm Winter Kale Chickpea Salad
During the summer, our go-to lunch is a bright, crispy salad, however during the winter we found that we always wanted something warm.
Eating warm foods during the coldest season of year is actually beneficial to your body. Warmer foods stimulate circulation and aid in digestion. Plus, they just make you feel warm inside, when your body may cold from the temperature outside.
That’s what gave us the inspiration to make a warm salad for winter. It may sound strange, but it is so delicious. We seriously have eaten this salad almost every day the past two weeks, because it’s that good!
What’s in this Recipe?
Fresh Kale: When we think of a winter salad, we immediately know that kale has to be in it. Kale is in season year round, but what makes it unique to other leafy greens is that it can withstand the cold of winter—making it the perfect leafy green for a winter salad.
Pomegranate Seeds: Pomegranates are also a winter fruit, and the seeds give this salad the perfect punch of sweet citrus. We love the bursts of pomegranate juice in every bite.
Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans): The roasted chick peas give this salad a hearty and delicious. It makes this salad more filling and adds a yummy savory taste to this salad.
Warm Citrus Dressing: This warm dressing ties the whole salad together. It’s has hints of citrus and the chalets add a savory taste. The warmness of the dressing softens the kale and adds the perfect amount of flavor.
Pistachios: The pistachios add the perfect crunch and compliment the rest of the salad perfectly.
How to Make This Salad
This salad is super easy to make and meal prep for the week ahead. It’s the perfect salad for lunch and to take on the go to work. This makes it super easy to prepare throughout the week.
First, you’ll want to make the roasted chickpeas. Rise and dump the snickers onto a paper towel.
How to Remove Skin from Chickpeas
You’ll then want to remove as much of the skin from the chick peas as you can. To do this, move the chickpeas in a circular motion with the palm of your hand on the paper towel. You should start to notice some of the skin coming off the chick peas. Keep doing this until you’ve removed most of the skin from the chickpeas.
Next, season the chickpeas and bake in the oven for 30 minutes until crispy.
Then add all the ingredients for the dressing to a sauce pan. Allow the ingredients to simmer for 5 minutes to meld all the flavors together.
Finally, it’s time to top the salad. Massage the arm dressing into the kale, and top with roasted chickpeas, pomegranate seeds and pistachios.
Print
Delicious Warm Winter Kale Chickpea Salad with Pomegranate Seeds
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 people 1x
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 3–4 leaves of kale, chopped without stems
- 1 pomegranate
- 1/4 cup pistachios
Roasted Chickpea Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- a pinch salt and pepper
- 3 tsp Chile Lime spice from Trader Joes
Warm Vinaigrette
- 1 shallot chopped
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp apricot preserves
- 1 pinch salt, pepper, red chile flakes to taste
Instructions
- Start with roasting chickpeas. Preheat oven to 350°F. (This takes most time but you can make the rest of the salad while this cooks. & No time wasted! )
- Open and rinse I can of chickpeas. Dry chickpeas in between two paper towels.
- Pour chickpeas onto a baking pan with raised sides (we use a round cake pan). Drizzle lightly with olive oil, evenly coat with seasonings. Cook in oven for 30 minutes.
- While chickpeas are cooking, Make the warm vinaigrette- this would make enough vinaigrette for about 6 salads. Add olive oil and shallot to a sauce pan. Warm on medium heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the pan to make sure you do not burn the shallots.
- Remove sauce pan from heat. Cool just slightly. Stir in ACV and preserves until combined. Add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes for seasoning.
- Prep the salad. Chop leaves off kale into bite sized pieces. Pour about 1 tbsp vinaigrette on salad and massage into kale with hands.
- Top with warm chickpeas, pomegranate seeds and pistachios.
- Enjoy!
Notes
* vinaigrette makes for 6 salads
*we use 1/2 can of chickpeas per salad because it is the protein source for the salad.
*store vinaigrette in airtight container in fridge. Reheat in microwave, until warm if using leftovers. There will be some separation in the oil so it will need to be heated up.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course, Salad
- Cuisine: American
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