Fava Bean and Chickpea Salad (Without Tomatoes)
Ready in just 20 minutes, tender and slightly sweet favas - fresh or from frozen - pair perfectly with creamy chickpeas and a light lemon dressing, all complemented by chopped herbs and cucumber.
Servings: 2
Calories: 573kcal
Equipment
- small pot with boiling water
- small knife
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh or frozen shelled fava beans approximately 1 ¼ pounds in pods
- 8 oz. 220g cooked chickpeas fresh or frozen, canned if tolerated
- 1 small cucumber diced
- ½ small red onion finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves chopped
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped
- 1 lemon zest and juice (~3 tablespoons lemon juice)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove minced (alt. 2 teaspoons toum sauce)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. If using fresh favas, use this time to remove them from their pods. Once the water is boiling, add the fresh or frozen fava beans and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until they are tender. Drain and immediately plunge them into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process and to keep their color vibrant. Once cooled, drain the beans and peel off their outermost skins (if using fresh), and set aside.
- While the fava beans are cooling, prepare the rest of the vegetables, if not using pre-cut veg. Peel the cucumber if desired, then dice it into bite-sized pieces. Peel and finely chop the red onion; microplane the garlic; then chop the fresh parsley, mint, and cilantro leaves and set aside.
- In a large salad bowl, combine the cooked fava beans, rinsed chickpeas, diced cucumber, chopped red onion, and freshly chopped herbs.
- In a separate smaller bowl, combine the fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, minced garlic, and ground cumin. Slowly whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil until the dressing is well combined. Season with salt to taste (start with a dash and work from there).
- Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and gently toss to ensure everything is evenly coated. For the flavors to fully develop, optionally cover the salad and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. This chilling time allows the ingredients to absorb the dressing and for the herbs to impart their full flavor to the salad. Otherwise, plate and serve as desired.
Notes
Bowl Size: for those who aren't as accustomed to tossing salads, be sure to use a much larger bowl for bringing the salad together than you use whne serving it.
Hate Cilantro?: if you think cilantro tastes like soap, just leave out the cilantro or replace it with more parsely - other great flavors that complement chickpea broad bean salad include lemon basil, arugula, or chervil.
How to Serve: this salad is absolutely fantastic served alongside any grilled meatsor hearty vegetables, or enjoyed between two slices of low histamine bread or in your favorite type of pita as a flavorful vegan filling.
Nutrition
Serving: 110g | Calories: 573kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Sodium: 25mg | Potassium: 971mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1173IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 6mg