As promised, here is the lovely little "salad" that goes with the tasty meatballs I posted a recipe for earlier this week. This salad is simple an comes together in a flash. The only tricky ingredient is sumac.
Sumac is apparently actually a berry, not an herb. While I was able to find it in the Whole Foods near me, I'd never seen it in a recipe before. If you don't have it, can't find it, or just plain don't want it, lemon zest will probably work as a pretty good substitute, perhaps with just a pinch more pepper. Sumac seems to have a lemony, slightly sourish taste. I like it for its color, too, but honestly don't feel like it is essential for this dish.
Also, chickpeas are pretty much awesome. A 1/2 cup of cooked chickpeas (or ones you get out of a can), contains about 7 g of fiber, almost 9 g of protein, 10% of your daily vitamin B1 needs, 11% of your vitamin B6 needs, a whopping 43% of daily folate needs, 5% of calcium, and 22% of your daily iron. **(see the bottom of this post for a quick rundown of why each of these vitamins or minerals is sooooo important for your health!)
Smashed Chickpea Salad
from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
makes about 2 cups
1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas (or canned)
1/4ish cup of green olives, pitted and very thinly sliced*
1/2 tsp ground sumac (or lemon zest)
Parsley, chopped
2 Tbs lemon juice (freshly squeezed is preferable)
1 tsp (or clove) garlic, minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
Olive oil
Rinse and drain your chickpeas. In a medium-sized bowl, place all your ingredients except the oil. Smash with a fork or a potato masher (I used the fork, but will definitely do the masher next time to speed up the process). Don't pulverize them; you want everything just a bit chopped (see the picture above). Drizzle with olive oil and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning as desired. Eat with the delicious meatballs on top, on its own, or on top of some greens for a protein-packed salad.
*When slicing the olives, I got nervous that there were just too many. I chickened-out and didn't add all of them. It was a mistake. The olives work perfectly and definitely shouldn't be missed!
**Fiber: helps maintain regular bowels, assists in cholesterol regulation, slows "sugar" release and, thereby, slows the surge of insulin into the blood, helping to level out your blood sugar levels
Protein: building blocks of the body; protein is needed to build cells, enzymes, immune cells, etc., etc.
B1: aka Thiamin; like many of the B vitamins, B1 is essential for proper energy metabolism to keep your body and cells running
B6: aka pyridoxine; helps convert tryptophan (an essential amino acid) into niacin (B3) and serotonin (neurotransmitter that helps relieve anxiety and reduce depression); necessary for energy metabolism of fuel sources like fatty acids and amino acids; required for the synthesis of hemoglobin (the compound in the blood that carries oxygen to cells!)
Folate: part of the enzyme complex necessary for DNA synthesis; necessary for new cell and blood cell synthesis (that's why expecting mamas need so much; lots of new cells to be made!!)
Calcium: everyone knows it's good for the bones, but did you know that calcium (Ca) is also necessary for proper nerve function, muscle contraction and relaxation, immune function, blood pressure regulation, and proper blood clotting?
Iron: component of hemoglobin that carries the oxygen; necessary for energy metabolism by the cells
Also, chickpeas are pretty much awesome. A 1/2 cup of cooked chickpeas (or ones you get out of a can), contains about 7 g of fiber, almost 9 g of protein, 10% of your daily vitamin B1 needs, 11% of your vitamin B6 needs, a whopping 43% of daily folate needs, 5% of calcium, and 22% of your daily iron. **(see the bottom of this post for a quick rundown of why each of these vitamins or minerals is sooooo important for your health!)
Smashed Chickpea Salad
from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
makes about 2 cups
1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas (or canned)
1/4ish cup of green olives, pitted and very thinly sliced*
1/2 tsp ground sumac (or lemon zest)
Parsley, chopped
2 Tbs lemon juice (freshly squeezed is preferable)
1 tsp (or clove) garlic, minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
Olive oil
Rinse and drain your chickpeas. In a medium-sized bowl, place all your ingredients except the oil. Smash with a fork or a potato masher (I used the fork, but will definitely do the masher next time to speed up the process). Don't pulverize them; you want everything just a bit chopped (see the picture above). Drizzle with olive oil and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning as desired. Eat with the delicious meatballs on top, on its own, or on top of some greens for a protein-packed salad.
*When slicing the olives, I got nervous that there were just too many. I chickened-out and didn't add all of them. It was a mistake. The olives work perfectly and definitely shouldn't be missed!
**Fiber: helps maintain regular bowels, assists in cholesterol regulation, slows "sugar" release and, thereby, slows the surge of insulin into the blood, helping to level out your blood sugar levels
Protein: building blocks of the body; protein is needed to build cells, enzymes, immune cells, etc., etc.
B1: aka Thiamin; like many of the B vitamins, B1 is essential for proper energy metabolism to keep your body and cells running
B6: aka pyridoxine; helps convert tryptophan (an essential amino acid) into niacin (B3) and serotonin (neurotransmitter that helps relieve anxiety and reduce depression); necessary for energy metabolism of fuel sources like fatty acids and amino acids; required for the synthesis of hemoglobin (the compound in the blood that carries oxygen to cells!)
Folate: part of the enzyme complex necessary for DNA synthesis; necessary for new cell and blood cell synthesis (that's why expecting mamas need so much; lots of new cells to be made!!)
Calcium: everyone knows it's good for the bones, but did you know that calcium (Ca) is also necessary for proper nerve function, muscle contraction and relaxation, immune function, blood pressure regulation, and proper blood clotting?
Iron: component of hemoglobin that carries the oxygen; necessary for energy metabolism by the cells