This is a guest post from Jon Robertson with a chickpea salad recipe by cookbook author, Robin Robertson. Jon is the founder of Vegan Heritage Press. He also blogs recipes and emergency preparedness tips, at Vegan Unplugged.
A combination of chickpeas, beets, and pineapple, this refreshing vegan salad delivers great nutrition while it lights up your taste buds. The vibrant pink color is ideal for springtime meals. The flavor of the chickpea salad (and the color) intensifies after an hour or two, so plan to make this ahead of when you need it and refrigerate until serving time.
Because the recipe is from my emergency pantry cookbook, Vegan Unplugged, it can be quick and easy to make using only pantry ingredients. Of course, the recipe is outstanding if you make it with fresh pineapple and roasted fresh beets, but if you don’t have time to roast beets, look for vacuum-packed fresh cooked beets in the produce department of stores such as Trader Joe’s. They’re not as flavorful as roasting your own from the raw state, but they’re superior to canned.
The versatility of this dazzling chickpea salad also extends to how and when you serve it. For a festive brunch, serve it in a glass bowl alongside a platter of roasted spring vegetables and a savory pie. For a casual day in the park, pack it into a Tupperware bowl to enjoy with a leisurely picnic. The choice is yours.
Special Diet Notes: Beet and Chickpea Spring Salad
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, vegetarian, and generally top food allergy-friendly.
- 8 ounces roasted fresh beets or other cooked beets, peeled and cooled if roasted
- 1½ cups cooked or 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
- 1½ cups diced fresh or canned pineapple, juice reserved
- 1 tablespoon neutral-tasting oil (such as grapeseed, rice bran or vegetable)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice, or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon sugar, or sweetener of choice
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Cut the cooked beets into ¼-inch dice and transfer to a medium bowl.
- Add the chickpeas and pineapple chunks.
- Drizzle on about ⅓ cup of the reserved pineapple juice, the oil, lemon juice, and sugar.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, and mix well.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
