Carrot, Parsley, and Garbanzo (Chickpea) Salad with Cumin

So possibly you've noticed how I get stuck on a certain vegetable and make several recipes with it in a short period of time. A few weeks ago, it was all about the asparagus. Now, I'm stuck on carrots.

First I made Carrot and Parsley Salad, which rocked my world in a way no carrot dish has ever done before. Then I was on to Roasted Carrots and Turnips with Balsamic and Herbs, which was amazing as well. I still wanted more carrots, so when I saw this recipe in Fine Cooking Magazine's special publication on side dishes, I had to try it. For some reason I felt strongly about chopping the carrots instead of shredding them, and I didn't have any ground coriander so I used cumin, but my version was a pretty close relative of the original.

Again this week, I'm using parsley for Weekend Herb Blogging. I shared a lot of parsley facts last week, so I won't repeat them, but I am excited to announce that I have a good crop of parsley already coming up in my herb garden. There's also a little bit of sage, a few green leaves sprouting out on the oregano, and of course, the ever prolific mint coming back already. This WHB week's host is the amazing photographer Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once, so be sure to visit her next Monday to see all the entries.

Carrot, Parsley, and Garbanzo (Chickpea) Salad with Cumin
(Makes 4-6 servings, recipe adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine, Side Dishes.)

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 cup coarsely chopped carrots (I used a food processor)
1 cup coarsely chopped parsley (either type, but I used curly parsley)
1/2 cup green onions (scallions)
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese (optional)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (optional, but highly recommended, could also use pine nuts)

Dressing:
3 T fresh lemon juice
6 T olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin (or less if you're not that fond of cumin)
pinch sea salt/fresh ground black pepper
pinch of Aleppo Pepper (optional but very good)

Put chickpeas in colander and rinse until no foam appears, then drain well and blot dry with paper towels. Peel 2-3 carrots, cut each into several pieces, then put in food processor with steel blade and pulse until carrots are coarsely chopped. (Carrots can also be chopped by hand or grated.) Wash parsley, spin or pat dry, then chop coarsely with food processor or chef's knife.

Mix dressing ingredients in small bowl and wisk together. Combine chickpeas, carrots, parsley, and scallions in large bowl. Mix dressing into salad. (You may not need it all if you prefer your salads on the dry side.) Gently fold in feta cheese if using. Serve each salad with a sprinkling of sunflower seeds or toasted pine nuts.

This actually kept quite well in the refrigerator overnight. If I made it again and wanted to save some, I might leave out the feta cheese and mix it in right before I ate it. I also think this would taste just as good without the feta.

South Beach Suggestions:
This would be a great salad for any phase of the South Beach Diet. I think this would taste great with Grilled Spicy Tuna or Greek Salmon Cooked in a Grill Pan. For phase two or three, add something like Lake Powell Spicy Rice.

More Salads with Parsley and Chickpeas
Tomato and Garbanzo Salad
Garbanzo Beans with Tuna from Exploring the Silver Spoon
Three Bean Salad from Simply Recipes

Chickpea and Spinach Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette from Well Fed

Reminders:

You can always check the sidebar to see Who's Hosting Weekend Herb Blogging or brush up on the Rules for Weekend Herb Blogging. This week's host is Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once. Send her your links for this week to hellohaalo AT gmail DOT com by 3:00 PM on Sunday, Utah time.

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Tags:
Food Recipes Cooking South Beach Diet Recipes
Low Carb Recipes Low Glycemic Index Recipes
Weekend Herb Blogging