Strawberry Mint Chickpea Salad

This chickpea salad is packed with nutrition and flavour! It’s also free of common food sensitivities, and helps you to feel energized after eating.  As a naturopathic doctor, food sensitivities are one of the most common causes of fatigue I find for patients in my practice.  You may be surprised to learn that symptoms caused by food sensitivities can also include bloating, digestive upset, acne, eczema, joint pain, and more!

While this Strawberry Mint Chickpea Salad is filling enough to serve as a meal on it’s own, it also makes for a delicious side to veggie burgers or grilled chicken. Since it’s dressed ahead of time, this quinoa and chickpea salad is a fabulous meal to bring along for a camping trip, a summer picnic or your next adventurous road trip!

Nothing beats the sweet and refreshing taste of strawberries combined with tangy balsamic vinaigrette, fresh garden veggies, cooling mint leaves and nourishing chickpeas. The dressing isn’t your typical vinaigrette and is instead rich and creamy because of the addition of heart-healthy avocado.

This chickpea salad helps with hormone-balancing, and it’s also a cancer fighting powerhouse! It contains antioxidant rich purple cabbage and vitamin-packed broccoli sprouts, both of which are plentiful in the nutrients involved in detoxification and the metabolism of harmful estrogens. Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage and broccoli contain sulforaphane, which is a compound that increases our bodies phase-2 liver enzymes. This means that a diet rich in sulforaphane increases your body’s ability to metabolize chemicals, toxins and hormones while relieving inflammation and supporting your overall health. Broccoli sprouts are an especially potent source of sulforaphane and contain up to 100 times more of this powerful compound than regular broccoli! You can find them at most health food stores and at many grocery stores next to the Alfalfa or bean sprouts. If you’re not able to find them where you live, you can substitute any other sprouts in their place for this recipe.

I used the TruRoots sprouted organic quinoa and ancient grain medley for this recipe, which includes white and red quinoa, buckwheat and millet. Alternatively you may combine equal parts of those grains to create your own blend or simply use quinoa alone.  Feel free to experiment to create your own delicious blend!

I created this recipe to take part in a Canadian Food Creatives collaboration with ten other food bloggers and I encourage you to check out their recipes below!  The theme of all recipes is “fresh from the garden”.  This is a great way to come across other food blogs you may enjoy!  Although not all of the recipes are gluten and dairy-free, the majority are and for the others you may be able to modify the ingredients. 

Check out the other recipes from the Canadian Food Creatives collaboration!

• Beef and Mushroom Lettuce Wraps by Food Mamma
• Caramelized Peaches with Coconut Whipped Cream and Crumble by Crumb Kitchen
• Easy Sheet Pan Oven-Roasted Root Vegetables by She Loves Biscotti
• Grilled Zucchini Greek Salad by Making Healthy Choices
• Healthy Peach Melba Smoothie Bowl by Flavour and Savour
• Mexican Bean Salsa by 365 Days of Easy Recipes
• Potatoes with Green Onion and Dill by Homemade & Yummy
• Roasted Beet Chocolate Brownies by Tiny Sweet Tooth
• Roasted Veggie Bocconcini Pasta Salad by Sugarlovespices
• Strawberry Mint Chickpea Salad by Healthy Life Redesign

I hope you enjoy this fresh and tasty Strawberry Mint Chickpea Salad and that it fuels you on your next adventure!  To learn more about food sensitivities and how to identify if they are causing your symptoms, download my free eBook – A Naturopathic Guide to Identifying your Food Sensitivities!

Enjoy!

Did you know that food sensitivities cause symptoms like fatigue, bloating or IBS, weight-gain and skin concerns?

Discover which foods are the cause of your symptoms with my FREE GUIDE -   “A Naturopathic Guide To Identifying Your Food Sensitivities”!

Strawberry Mint Chickpea Salad

2016-07-15 15:56:25

This chickpea salad is packed with both nutrition and flavour! Enjoy the sweet and refreshing taste of strawberries combined with tangy balsamic vinaigrette, fresh garden veggies, cooling mint leaves and nourishing chickpeas. The dressing isn’t your typical vinaigrette and is instead rich and creamy because of the addition of heart-healthy avocado. Enjoy!

Servings: 6 large salads

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Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

50 min

Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

50 min

Chickpea Salad

1. 3 ½ cups cooked quinoa/buckwheat (I used TruRoots Quinoa Ancient Grain Medley)
2. 3 cups purple cabbage, chopped
3. 1 cup red onion, minced
4. 3 green onions, chopped
5. 15 strawberries, sliced
6. 1 cup broccoli sprouts
7. 1 small avocado, chopped
8. 1 540ml can chickpeas (approx. 2 cups)
9. ¾ cup flaked almonds
10. 1/3 cup dried currants
11. 2/3 cup mint, chopped

Creamy Balsamic Dressing

1. 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2. ½ cup avocado oil
3. ¼ cup avocado (approx. ½ of a small avocado)
4. ¼ cup water
5. 1 tbsp raw, unpasteurized honey
6. 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
7. ¼ tsp black pepper
8. ¼ tsp Herbamare or sea salt.

Instructions

1. Cook quinoa blend as per package instructions and set aside to cool.
2. Combine all salad ingredients (including quinoa blend) in a large bowl and stir to combine.
3. Add all dressing ingredients to a small blender and process on high until smooth.
4. Add dressing to the salad and stir to combine. Salad may be dressed in advance and stays fresh for up to 3-4 days in the fridge.

Ingredient Info

1. Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Egg-Free, Soy-Free, Corn-Free, Vegan

By By Dr. Kimberley O'Brien, N.D. | Healthy Life Redesign | All content is Copyright Protected - ©2013 - 2016

Healthy Life Redesign https://www.healthyliferedesign.com/

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