We found salad in a hopeless place. We found salad in a hoooopelesssss place.
As I said in yesterday’s What I Ate Wednesday post, I’m not one to whip up a salad for lunch, or any meal for that matter. I blame it partially on my laziness, partially on lack of creativity, and partially on the difficulty of packing a salad in my lunchbox. Now that grad school is basically over, I’ve been treating myself to lunches at home. Like on an actual plate. Oh Tupperware, how I don’t miss thee.
Lunching at home opens up a whole world of possibilities. I can make scrambled eggs! Salad! Smoothies! It’s the little things in life.
I also blame this ensalada on berries being $1.99 this week. Since I buy enough produce to feed a family of four, I obviously bought three packages. The weird part is that I only eat the berries either on oatmeal or just by the handful. I actually prefer frozen berries reheated in the microwave on my oatmeal since the juiciness makes the oatmeal naturally sweeter, so lately I’ve just been shoving fresh berries in my face like it’s nobody’s biznass.
But this salad. This salad is your biznass.
I’ve eaten it every day for lunch for the past three days. Like I get excited to come home and eat it. It’s that good. If it’s just you at home or if you don’t want to share, you can easily adjust this to one serving by just adding however many berries and almond you like. Keep the dressing in the fridge for future salading and the chickpeas in the pantry for snackities.
Can we talk about the chickpeas for a sec. Maple cinnamon roasted chickpeas > croutons. I mean they just killllllll it.
I feel like this salad would be the perfect picnic salad. I’ve never been on a picnic. I want to go on a picnic and eat almond butter and jelly sammies. All I want is a cute boy to ask me to go on a picnic.
I mean I would totally bring this salad and seal the deal, ya know?
P.S. I may or may not be jamming to Classic by MKTO while I write this post…I don’t hate it.
I wanna kiss you like Prince!
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The perfect spring spinach salad studded with fresh berries, crunchy maple cinnamon roasted chickpeas and homemade balsamic.
Ingredients
Maple Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas:
- 1–15oz can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp grapeseed oil (or coconut oil, melted)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
Dressing:
- 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salad:
- 8 cups of spinach
- 1–6oz package raspberries
- 1–6oz package blackberries
- 1/2 cup roasted and salted almonds, chopped
- 1 ripe avocado, cubed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with a silipat or parchment paper. Drain and rinse chickpeas and then roll them around in a paper towel until they’re very dry. The more dry, the more crunchy. The more skin that comes off the chickpeas, the better!
- In a medium bowl, stir together chickpeas, maple syrup, oil, cinnamon and salt.
- Pour onto prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, tossing around with a spatula every 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a medium bowl. I like to add all the ingredients to a mason jar and just shake it until combined.
- Place the salad ingredients in a large serving bowl. Toss everything together to combine. Pour dressing over top just prior to serving and stir to combine. Garnish with a few roasted almonds.
- Store any extra roasted chickpeas in an air-tight container. They will get less crunchy over time.
I’m super lazy about making salads too; although, I really do love them! I really just need to take the time to do it because I absolutely love the sound of this one. It’s so different, but looks amazing! And, by the way, raspberries just so happen to be my most favorite berry ever! 😉
Aren’t raspberries the best? It’s so hard not to eat the carton in one sitting!
Well no thanks to you I am now reliving my Calvin Harris days in my head aka Davs the rave queen in NYC who thrived off Cosi Salads. I’ve come a long way thank G! So long I discovered the greatness that is roasted chickpeas and I ain’t ever going back. Chickpeas were .99 cents so I bought enough to feed the Duggar family for 3 years. Long lost soul sistassss
Bahhaah Davs the rave queen. Totes your new name. OMG when chickpeas are on sale I fill my cart with SO many and get a million and five weird looks. Long hair don’t care!
Love your stuff! I am GF, cancer survivor (yeah yeah yeah!!!) and LOVE your recipes to help keep me healthy!!!
Awww thanks SO much, Jane! I’m smiling from ear to ear!!
I love a good salad so this is one to add to the list. I have never put berries on a salad… I don’t think dried cranberry’s count… or do they?
Cranberries definitely count! Fresh fruit is so sweet and juicy, though 🙂
Whoa girl, getting creative in the kitchen!
Hehe guiltyyyy!
Lunches at home… on a plate?!? Jealous. 😉 I love making big batches of salads to take to work with me during the week. One of my favorite combos is berrie/spinach. I’m going to have to try those chickpeas though… they look amazing!!
I know…living large over here!! 🙂
I’ve never roasted chickpeas, but I’ve been dying to do so! It’s been on my forever growing recipe list. It never occurred to me to put them on a salad though. This looks and sounds delicious!
You’ve gotta try it! You may be addicted though, so beware!! They’re a salad’s best friend.
Hi Alexis, Great looking salad, love roasted chickpeas, but with maple and cinnamon….All I can think is that it sounds perfect with the spinach, great combination of flavors.
Thanks darling! It really does have a fabulous combination of textures and flavors.
I totally want to go on a picnic and eat this salad -with a cute boy 😉 Roasting chickpeas and using them as croutons is about the best thing I’ve ever heard of. I love this! You’re the chickpea whisperer!
I thought this salad couldn’t get any better…till I imagined sharing it with a hunk of a man. The chickpea whisperer….I love it!!
I love roasted chickpeas! I’ve never put them on a salad though! Need to try that
It’s kind of life changing 🙂 Now I can’t have a salad without them!
Okay…You’ve done it.
I’m going to battle the chickpeas. Only because it’s maple cinnamon roasted. They sound like something worth the physical pains.
If you wanted to bring a salad in tupperware, just save those costco sized boxes for baby spinach.
MKTO do NOT thank you.
The chickpea battle is SO on. Seriously, these are another kind of addicting! Bahah I can’t even imagine the looks I’d get if I packed salad in those costco salad containers. Actually, people prob wouldn’t even be surprised.
I’m so ridiculously addicted to roasted chickpeas — it’s not even funny. I love the idea of tossing them in a salad, but mine don’t usually last long enough to make that happen! 😆 Going to have to exercise some willpower and try to save them!
Oh I believe it, sista! Your version is next!
Looks delicious!
I’m on a chickpea kick…in a big way. I feel like roasting ’em up is going to throw that kick out the park- I can’t wait to try this out!! I feel you on not eating out of the tupperware- one of my favorite things about working from work may or may not be the plethora of lunch options and eating out of a freakin’ plate..oh its the little things!
Eating on a real plate is seriously underrated.
Dang – berries are $1.99 in your neck of the woods? Clearly I NEED to move!
Yay for leaving-the-tupperware-on-the-shelf-and-eating-from-a-plate lunches! This salad is such a wonderful blend of flavors and textures AND colors!!
Isn’t that insane!? I’ve been buying a weird amount because I can’t resist the price!
I love adding roasted chickpeas to salads! I need to try these maple cinnamon ones! This sounds delicious with the berries and avocado!
Thanks, lady! I pretty much add everything but the kitchen sink to my salads these days.
I would totally have this salad all up in my biznass. Hahaha I LOVE fruit on salads. And these chickpeas sound to dieeee for.
Right?! I love how the sweetness contrasts with the salty almonds and crunchy chickpeas. It’s textural heaven!!
This salad looks incredible! I love that you replaces croutons with roasted chickpeas….they probably taste even better too 🙂
I swear…the sweet crunch is totally irresistible! Now I can’t imagine my salds without ’em 🙂
Those chickpeas sound phenomenal! I’ve never put crunchy chickpeas on a salad, but just on principle I have to agree >> croutons. Berries have been going on crazy sale here lately and I (for some reason) don’t like just snacking on them, but still buy crazy amounts. This salad is the perfect solution!
I swear–this salad is the solution to alllll my problems. It’s been my meal of choice for days!
My life is seriously just looking for new salad recipes… I need to get over my fear of roasting chickpeas… they are so delicious. And I ALWAYS need a little crunch in my salad but constantly lack it. Pinning now!
Don’t fear the chickpea!! I swear–they’re not scary and they taste SO bomb roasted. They make salads dee-vine!!
AAHHHH!!! Just had this for supper (but used apricots, grapes and garden lettuce). It was amazing!!!
I can hardly wait for these chickpeas to finish roasting! They smell amazing! I’m going to tryyyyy to save some for my salads this week 🙂 I can’t wait to get this salad in my belly! Love the blog! So glad I found it!
Awww thanks, Kelli! I definitely ate a large portion of the chickpeas before they made their way into the salad 🙂 No shame, girl.
First off, I have to give props to your photography skills. I took 2 jillion pictures of the salad to send my husband (since I’ve been blabbing about this salad since I saw it on Pinterest 5 days ago) and none of them did this gorgeous salad justice, as your pictures did. Although I did end up licking my phone screen, that was only because I spilled some dressing on it 🙂 Looooooved it!
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Awwww I’m so glad to hear that, Kelli! I had the sun to thank for those pictures 🙂 Good lighting is everythanggg!
This looks insanely good!!! You’ve been full of ridiculously yummy recipes lately!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Can’t wait to try!
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