Sumac and Red Onion Chickpea Salad

The best description of this recipe I can come up with, is this: it's super duper crazy filling, for just a bunch of chickpeas! Honestly, for such a straightforward, simple lunch salad, this packs a punch. The chickpeas are crazy filling and the red onion/sumac/chili powder mixture, give it a crazy strong flavor. So much so that you may (read: will) have some potent flavors lingering over your tongue and in your mouth after enjoying! But don't let that dissuade you from trying this, particularly because a little bit goes a really long way. Practically every day I packed this for Will for lunch this week, he brought a little bit home. That could've also had something to do with the fact that he also got some other snacks including Coffeehouse Stout Cupcakes, but I think it's because the salad is so filling. And having that cupcake around was useful--from all the strong tart/salty flavors, you really will want to bite into something sweet after you finish your lunch. Besides being used for a lunch salad, I would also recommend taking this as a side dish to a summer shindig, because it's simple to make and has extremely fragrant flavors. Overall, it was a hit for us!


Cooking Notes: We skipped the pomegranate syrup from original recipe and subbed agave nectar. Otherwise, we followed the rest of the recipe!

Sumac and Red Onion Chickpea Salad (adapted from The Kitchn; serves 6-8)
3 cups uncooked chickpeas
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 large red onion, sliced very thin
1 tbsp sumac
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 bunch Italian parsley, leaves finely chopped
1 large lemon, juiced (about 3 tbsp)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp agave nectar

Prepare chickpeas in the crockpot. Place 3 cups chickpeas and 9 cups water in crockpot, then cook on high for 3 hours. When done cooking, drain, rinse and cool before making salad.

Once chickpeas have cooled, begin by adding garlic and S&P. Slice onion and set aside in a bowl. Add sumac, chili powder, and salt to onion and massage spices into onion slices for several minutes. Drain off any liquid that develops at the bottom of the bowl. Add the chickpeas and chopped parsley to the onions and use your hands or two forks to toss everything thoroughly. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil and agave nectar, then toss in with the salad. Season with S&P then refrigerate until ready to serve. Optional: top with fresh mint.

Recipe: The Kitchn: Chickpea Salad with Onion, Sumac and Lemon