Avocado Lime Roasted Chickpea Salad

I was intrigued by all of the roasted chickpea recipes I was noticing popping up across Pinterest boards. Everyone seemed to be raving about the deliciousness of this trend, and the photos sure looked tasty. So I decided to give roasted chickpea salad a try, and my first experiment had an avocado-lime spicy southwestern flair.

My husband and I both took one bite and agreed: it was a definite winner.

First, the warm roasted chickpeas - coated with an easy homemade southwestern blend of spices – are addictive. They're crisp on the outside from roasting, with that buttery rich chickpea flavor on the inside, and packed with smoky, savory flavor.

The toughest challenge with this recipe: keeping every last one of the warm-from-oven roasted chickpeas from "mysteriously disappearing" before they reach the table!

Next step: assemble your fresh southwestern salad ingredients.

Here are some important key ingredients I've discovered for maximum fresh flavor:

• sweet corn kernels add a hint of sweetness
• green onions or scallions add the lightest, most delicate onion flavor
• cilantro is perfect for adding tons of freshness

In addition, as a yummy contrast to the smoky, savory chickpeas, try adding a really easy homemade avocado lime dressing to the salad. Just add an avocado, along with some freshly squeezed lime juice, to a food processor or blender. Add a bit of salt and pepper for flavor, along with some agave nectar to balance out the acidity from the lime, and puree until you end up with a thick, smooth avocado cream. It's really thick, but as you stir it up and toss it around with the salad, it melts right into the other ingredients.

The last oh-so-critical step: adding a delicious crunch to the salad! Homemade corn tortilla chips are quick and easy to prepare (they take only about 10 minutes to crisp in the oven, while you're preparing the other salad ingredients.) Just one word of warning, they're equally as addicting as the roasted chickpeas!

This vegan dinner is so fresh and so filled with super nutritious ingredients. But what you'll really love is that it's bursting with such a variety of savory, smoky, sweet, crisp, fresh, creamy, and crunchy flavors!

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Avocado Lime Roasted Chickpea Salad Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Tortilla Chips:

• 4 corn tortillas, 6 inch
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Roasted Chickpeas:

• 14 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt

For the Avocado-Lime Dressing:

• 2 limes
• 1 avocado, pitted and peeled
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad:

• 4 cups mixed greens
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup organic frozen sweet corn, thawed
• 4 green onions, white and pale green parts thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

For the Tortilla Chips:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Pile the tortillas on top of one another so that they are evenly lined up. Use your knife to slice through the tortillas like a pizza, cutting them into small triangles.
3. Arrange the "chips" on a parchment-lined baking sheet so that no two are overlapping.
4. Use a basting brush to sweep olive oil over each "chip," and dust on salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
5. Cook in the oven until tortillas are lightly golden and crisp, about 10 minutes.

For the Roasted Chickpeas:

1. Increase the oven heat to 425°F.
2. Add the chickpeas and 1 tablespoon olive oil to a mixing bowl. Add cumin, paprika, chili powder, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Season with salt.
3. Stir until all chickpeas are evenly coated with oil and seasoning.
4. Arrange chickpeas on a parchment-lined baking sheet so that they are evenly spread across the baking sheet.
5. Roast in the oven until hot and slightly crisp, about 9-12 minutes.

For the Avocado Lime Dressing:

1. Squeeze all of the juice from the limes, and add lime juice to a food processor or blender. Also add the avocado and the agave, and season with salt and pepper.
2. Puree until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

To Prepare the Salad:

1. Arrange salad greens, tomato, corn, green onion, and cilantro on serving plates.
2. Top each with avocado lime dressing, and toss and stir until ingredients are mixed and dressing has melted into salads.
3. Top each with warm roasted chickpeas. Crush tortilla chips over salads, and serve.

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