Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with Amaranth is a simple salad recipe under 30 minutes with fresh plant based ingredients, herbs, and a flavourful light dressing.
Beginning the week with a power packed recipe that screams "HEALTHY" from the rooftops! Presenting the Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with Amaranth. A simple salad recipe under 30 minutes that uses fresh plant based ingredients, herbs, olives and a flavourful light dressing with olive oil.
Some Benefits of the Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with Amaranth
- Excellent for weight watchers
- Clean Eating Recipe
- High Protein
- No heavy salad dressing
- Seasonal and local ingredients
- Diabetic Friendly
- Gluten Free, Vegan and Dairy Free
You can carry this salad at work (dressing separately) and / or this could be an early dinner option too especially during weekdays. You can plan and prep for this salad a day ahead and store the ingredients plus dressing in your refrigerator. Trust me, this is so much better than ordering take out.
The Mediterranean Diet is considered extremely healthy as it includes plant based foods, legumes, nuts, olive oil, herbs and spices that benefits the whole body. Dairy products like feta cheese is very common, especially in salads. However, for this particular recipe, I have avoided the same and kept it Dairy Free too.
For this recipe, I have used Indian Superfood - Amaranth or Rajgira. The ingredient is both Gluten Free and Vegan. I have soaked the amaranth seeds in water, cooked them and added to the recipe. It is similar to how you may use Quinoa.
The Mediterranean Chickpea Salad is one of the cleverest way to include Amaranth grains into your diet, which otherwise is usually labelled as "only for fasting". It has major health benefits and is the Indian Quinoa (as I call it). The grain, unlike Quinoa is less expensive too.
How to Cook Amaranth or Rajgira
- Soak Amaranth Grains (Rajgira) (1/2 cup in 1 cup water) for atleast 30 mins.
- Drain the water, add fresh water (1 cup) and cook this over the stove top for atleast 10 minutes or until it cooks well. Add salt while cooking the grains.
- Now drain the cooked amaranth using a colander and allow it to cool down (until all the water has drained)
- Use a fork to separate the grains and use for the salad recipe.
Please note, I have only used some quantity of this cooked amaranth for the recipe, balance was used to make the salad again for the next day. Its best to batch cook to avoid time.
This stays fresh in the refrigerator for more than couple of days.
Once the cooked Amaranth is ready, it hardly takes any time to put this salad recipe together.
Step by Step Recipe for Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with Amaranth Couscous
(1) In a large bowl, add the boiled chickpeas, onions, tomato, olives, fresh herbs, peppers. Add salt to taste and toss well.
(2) Now prepare the dressing using the ingredients as listed above.
(3) Add the cooked Amaranth to the salad.
(4) Then, add the dressing to the salad, mix well and check for salt etc. Add more if required.
(5) Chill for an hour before serving (minus the dressing) especially if you are expecting guests.
Recipe Notes -
- If you don't have access to Amaranth (it is available in all leading Indian grocery stores), you can opt for regular couscous made with Bulgar Wheat or added cooked quinoa too.
- You can add vegetables like cucumber, carrots too as a variation.
- By all means add some minced garlic to the dressing or lemon juice too for added taste.
- The salad tastes best when chilled or refrigerated.
Salad Recipes on the blog -
- Cucumber Peanut Salad
- Sprouts Salad with Mung Bean Sprouts
- Vegetarian Pasta Salad
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with Amaranth
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Boiled Chickpeas or Garbanzo beans 1 cup is 200 ml measurement
- 1/2 cup Cooked Amaranth Grains
- 1 nos. Tomato (medium size) finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Yellow Bell Peppers (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp Finely chopped red bell peppers
- 7-8 nos Olives finely sliced (green olives used here)
- A small bunch of mint leaves finely chopped
- Coriander leaves finely chopped
- salt to taste
FOR THE SALAD DRESSING
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tsp Za'atar Spice
- 1 tsp Sweet Paprika Powder
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the boiled chickpeas, onions, tomato,olives, fresh herbs, peppers. Add salt to taste and toss well.
- Now prepare the dressing using the ingredients under "salad dressing" above.
- Add the cooked Amaranth to the salad.
- Then, add the dressing to the salad, mix well and check for salt etc.
- Chill the salad for an hour before serving (minus the dressing) especially if you are serving for guests.
Notes
- If you don't have access to Amaranth (it is available in all leading Indian grocery stores), you can opt for regular couscous made with Bulgar Wheat or cooked Quinoa.
- You can add vegetables like cucumber, carrots too as a variation.
- By all means add some minced garlic to the dressing or lemon juice too for added taste.
- The salad tastes best when chilled for sometime.
- The recipe is vegan. You can however, add some crumbled feta cheese too to the recipe. Tastes delicious.
Taking this recipe to the #181FoodieMondayBlogHop where the theme this week as suggested by Sujata Shukla who Blogs at PepperonPizza is Levantine Cuisine. Levantine cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Levant, known in Arabic as the Bilad ash-Sham and Mashriq, which covers a large area of the Eastern Mediterranean. Some popular dishes from this cuisine are Falafels, Hummus and their world famous Pita Bread.
If you try this at home, please give me a shout out / Tag Me on any of my social media handles.
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Vidya Narayan
Oooh, the salad looks so pretty and colourful! A protein-packed salad loaded with flavour, good for weekdays and weekends alike.
I agree Priya, Thanks
This looks awesome
Thank you Uma
Chickpea salad with amaranth couscous sounds so filling andanutritious Vidya ! I can happuly have this as my dinner anyday. Fantastic share for the theme !
Thanks Poonam
Healthy and delicious salad!!
Thanks Deepti
Sounds lovely! 🙂
Thank you ramya
Such a beautiful medley of colors Vidya!! A platter full of flavours and nutrition. This is one of my favourite salads but I add Israeli Couscous to it and can have it anytime with some toasted bread. Liked the addition of gluten-free amaranth couscous.
I just hopped to your site to check the recipe, especially the Israeli Couscous. I need to try it soon.
Salad looks so colourful and delicious. Loved the use of amaranth in it. I would love to have this super healthy salad bowl full as a snack. Lovely share.
thank you so much
Amaranth , couscous with Chickpeas sounds so interesting. Love this healthy and flavourful salad with such bright colours. Ideal dinner for me. Fab share Vidya.
Thank you Preethi
Amma! I want to dig into the screen. Such an amazing looking salad and so healthy too. I tried cutting carbs then ended up eating a lot of chocolate but I think this salad will help in building my stamina not just in eating chocolate but in walking too. 😀
I want the chocolate now! Share some and let's trade the salad instead. ha ha .. Thank you dear.
Amaranth couscous in Chickpeas salad, sounds so great. A healthy and power packed salad which is super delicious and flavourful too..
thank you Ruchi, glad you liked it
I generally have grain based salad bowls for lunch, and this recipe fits into that description perfectly. The Amaranth sounds a nice substitute for the Israeli couscous I use for salads. I haven't thought of adding chickpeas to couscous salads before, and this is a welcome idea. Loved the colourful nutritious salad!
I add chickpeas to almost every other salad at home. This is one pulse always available in my refrigerator any day. If I am hungry, sundal comes to my rescue and fills me up. This recipe is loved by both of us as its an excellent filling early dinner option. Glad you liked it.
Wow, that is a loaded salad with all the lovely ingredients. I particularly like these tiny amaranth seeds that add like a pop upon the chew...
Thank you Seema
Now I know how to use the Rajgira seeds (grains) at home - this dish -truly screams healthy & this is an assortment of veggies and proteins that can fix me up till dinner.. lovely addition of olives that my elder kid would love 🙂
Thanks Kal, it was very filling indeed as our early dinner. Thanks so much
What a feast for the eyes Vidya, do you home deliver 😉 ? Love the idea of replacing the couscous with amaranth. Its such a wonderful light meal.
Home Delivery - Yes with love, Absolutely! We enjoyed the amaranth so much that I made it again during the same week on husband's insistence.
So so so colorful platter you have posted vidya !!! all the ingredients used here are making much more healthy and flavorful to the salad particularly 🙂
Thanks Sasmita.
You have such a beautiful collection of recipes!
Thanks so much for the kind words
This looks amazing!!
Thank you so much
Vibha loves couscous while I dont relish it so much. Now seeing this mediterranean chickpea with amarnath cous, I have ideas of replacing couscous with amaranth. This salad looks good and is super healthy. A meal by itself
Absolutely a meal by itself. Thanks Veena.
I love the combination of flavors and use of chickpeas in this salad! Yum!!
This is my absolute fav salad especially during summers. Thanks a ton!
I love all of the ingredients you have used in this salad! It looks perfect for summer and perfect for my lunch. Love the addition of couscous !!
Thanks jolly, the Amaranth couscous was indeed refreshing!
It's a nice and refreshing recipe
Glad you liked it Sangeeta.
Awesome recipe. I love the directions and photos!
So glad you loved it. Thanks Tasha.