Vegetable Salad with Crispy Garbanzos

Crispy garbanzo beans are SO yummy- we love to eat them as a snack or in a salad.

Watch out, they're addicting!

Try changing the spices to coat the garbanzos according to your taste or what you are serving; for example, when making a SW salad: use cumin and/or chili powder, on a chicken Caesar salad: use lemon pepper and garlic salt, in a Mediterranean salad: use oregano, basil, thyme, and/or rosemary... you get the idea!

The salad below is a great base, but it is very adaptable; substitute as you need with vegetables you have on hand.

Crispy Garbanzo Beans

Serve slightly warm, or cool completely and store in a tightly sealed glass jar or ziplock bag.

Thoroughly rinse and drain one 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, then lay them out on paper/cloth towels and pat dry. Discard any skins that come off as you do this.

In a large bowl, combine 1 Tbsp. olive oil with a dash of salt and 1-2 tsp. spice(s) of your choice- depending on spice intensity you like. See notes in intro above. Set aside.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Spread the beans, single layer, onto the sheet. Place in a cold oven, and pre-heat to 400.

While oven pre-heats, the beans will "pre-heat"- a step that dries them thoroughly, and is necessary for super crispy results. Check the beans every few minutes; when they're dry to the touch, slide them into the olive oil/spice bowl, toss to coat, spread back on baking sheet, and return to the now hot oven.

Bake for about 25-35 minutes, or until they're golden brown and crisp. Serve warm or room temperature.

Salad Template

(Easy to adapt to what you have on hand)

Combine in a large bowl:

1 cucumber, ½” - ¾” diced

2 medium tomatoes, ½” - ¾” diced (or 1-2 c. halved cherry tomatoes)

1 sweet bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange), ½” - ¾” diced

1-2 small carrots, sliced in ½” rounds

¼ c. red onion (or other mild/sweet onion), ¼” diced

1-2 c. optional mixed diced veggies of your choice (broccoli, zucchini, etc.)

¼ c. (+/-) snipped cilantro, parsley, basil, dill, or fresh single/mixed herbs of your choice

Toss the veggies with vinaigrette or dressing of your choice, or use the recipe below.

Arrange salad onto serving platter or plates, and scatter some of the crisped garbanzo beans on top.

Salad Dressing

Whisk together:

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. lemon juice + zest from ½ a lemon

½ tsp. honey

½ clove garlic, pressed or minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe created or adapted by Liz Talley, Urban Graze

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#salad