Chickpea Salad Niçoise

Fully loaded with hearty potatoes, seasoned chickpeas, colourful vegetables and crispy lettuce

RECIPE BY HANNAH SUNDERANI Founder and creator of Two Spoons, and bestselling author of The Two Spoons Cookbook from Toronto, ON.

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Excerpted from The Two Spoons Cookbook by Hannah Sunderani © 2022 Hannah Sunderani. Photography by Hannah Sunderani. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved. T his is a salad you would typically find in a niçoise from the south of France. The freshness of this salad will feel like a journey to the markets in the Old Town of Nice! Enjoy this as a delicious, healthy lunch, dinner or side salad.

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS Lemon Dijon Dressing

• ⅓ cup olive oil • ¼ cup lemon juice • 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard • 2 Tbsp. finely diced shallots • 1 clove garlic, finely diced • 1½ tsp. agave • ½ tsp. white miso • ½ tsp. fine sea salt • ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper • ¼ tsp. dried oregano

Note: Dressing can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. Store in a jar in the refrigerator, and bring to room temperature before serving, shake before using.

Chickpeas

• 1 can (14 ounces/400 ml) chickpeas, drained and rinsed • 2 tsp. lemon juice • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard • 1 tsp. dried oregano • Pinch of fine sea salt

Salad

• 7 ounces (200 g) green beans, trimmed • 7 ounces (200 g) baby potatoes, colour of choice, cut into bite-sized pieces • 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved • 1 cup thinly sliced English cucumber • ¼ cup pitted mixed Greek olives • ½ small red onion, thinly sliced • 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives • ¼ cup drained capers • Pinch of fine sea salt • Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Lemon Dijon Dressing

1. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, shallots, garlic, agave, miso, salt, pepper and oregano.

Whisk to combine. Set aside to allow the flavours to meld together.

Chickpeas

2. In a medium bowl, combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, mustard, oregano and salt. Stir to combine and set aside.

Salad

3. Fill a medium bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. When the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium high, add the green beans and cook until the beans are vivid green and just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. 4. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the green beans and submerge them into the ice water. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook until fork-tender, 10 to 12 minutes. 5. Drain the potatoes and green beans, rinse under cool running water. Pat dry the potatoes and green beans. 6. Spread the romaine lettuce on a large serving platter. Evenly arrange the green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, olives and red onion over the romaine.

Sprinkle with the seasoned chickpeas, chives, caper and a pinch of salt and pepper. 7. Serve the Lemon Dijon Dressing on the side for drizzling. (Alternatively, you can toss all the ingredients together in a large salad bowl and toss with the dressing to taste just before serving)

TIP

If you prefer to cook chickpeas from scratch, you will need to soak and cook ½ cup dried chickpeas to get 1½ cups cooked (the equivalent of 1 can).

Nutrition facts per serving

Calories 500; protein 9 g; fat 0.75 g; carbs 33 g.