Strawberry and Roasted Chickpea Salad with a Cinnamon Vinaigrette

I needed to be weaned off the Colombian tropical fruit, but instead, I have been catapulted into the berry haven of southern Ontario.

Pick your poison of choice, right?

No stranger to strawberries perking up a summer salad, instead of balsamic, this time I opted for a savoury note with cinnamon. Cinnamon roasted chickpeas as well as a cinnamon vinaigrette. Strawberries confer sweetness, toasted almonds crunch with a hint of mint making this a much more complex salads. Serve overtop your favourite greens for a summer treat.

This is my submission to this month’s Anyone Can Cook Vegetarian for sweet spices, to this month’s My Legume Love Affair, hosted by Simona, to this month’s No Croutons Required featuring summer salads, to this month’s Bookmarked Recipes, to this week’s Weekend Wellness, to this week’s Summer Salad Sundays and to Deb for this week’s Souper Sundays.

Strawberry and Roasted Chickpea Salad with a Cinnamon Vinaigrette
Adapted from Peas and Thank You

8 cups mixed baby greens
1 batch Pumpkin Spice Roasted Chickpeas (see below) or 2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 cups strawberries, halved
1/4 cup fresh mint, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp lime or lemon juice (I used 1 lime)
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch salt
4 drops stevia, or your favourite sweetener, to taste
4 tsp hazelnut oil, or your oil of choice

1. Begin by making the pumpkin roasted chickpeas if you haven’t already (see below).

2. Make your dressing by combining the vinegar, lime juice, mustard, cinnamon, ginger, salt and stevia. Whisk in the oil slowly to create an emulsified dressing. Set aside until serving.

3. Plate the lettuce, top with the chickpeas, strawberries, mint and almonds. Drizzle with the dressing.

Serves 2-4.

Pumpkin Spice Roasted Chickpeas
Adapted from Peas and Thank You

2 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp coconut oil, or oil of choice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
3/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients so that the chickpeas are evenly covered in the dressing.

3. Spread the chickpeas onto a silpat-lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to make sure nothing is burned.

4. Cool prior to using with the salad.

Makes 2 cups.