Leafy Greens Salad with Little Fish and Spiced Chickpeas

This dish is the second in a series about dried chickpeas or beans - if you haven’t seen the Kale Stem Pesto Pasta with Chickpeas post, you may want to start there for some more background and a shopping list. But even if you’ve just come to this post looking for a tasty way to use up chickpeas, it’s a good one to know. If you’ve ever got cooked chickpeas or beans ready to go, plus some kind of tinned fish in the pantry and eggs and random greens in the fridge, you can always make some flavorful and filling version of this hearty salad. If you did make pesto already, you should have some leftover greens for the salad. Feel free to toss in any other veggies you have in the fridge that you want to use up!

The Rough Recipe

This feeds roughly 4 people, but you can easily increase or decrease amounts to feed more or less. Leave out the fish if you’re cooking for vegetarians, and this dish is gluten-free (although if you do eat gluten, .crunchy breadcrumbs or croutons are always welcome).

Here’s what you need:

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas or beans of your choice, laid out on a tea towel or paper towel to dry for a few minutes if pulled from liquid so they’ll get crispier

• extra-virgin olive oil

• a few shakes each of the spices of your choice - I used paprika, cumin and turmeric

• 6 to 8 cups leafy greens of your choice, from light lettuce leaves to heartier greens like the kale used above

• A small tin of anchovies or sardines or tuna (optional)

• 1 avocado, sliced (or any other veggies you want)

• Optional toppings: breadcrumbs or croutons, nuts such as sliced almonds or pine nuts, shaved Parmesan or another cheese

• Lemon juice or vinegar of your choice

• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

• 4 eggs, cooked to your liking

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay out the chickpeas on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Once cooled slightly, toss in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of the spices of your choice. Set aside while you make the rest of the salad.

Place your greens in a bowl and toss with lemon juice, more olive oil, and kosher salt. I usually just do this by feel, but you’re aiming for about 1 part acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to 2 or 3 parts olive oil. If your greens are heartier, like kale or chard, massage the dressing in to wilt the leaves a bit. Top with the tinned fish of your choice and other veggies and other items you’re using. Add your eggs and enjoy!