Chickpea Salad with Mexican Mango Dressing

Sarah from My New Roots posted this recipe a few weeks back after a short trip to Mexico and immediately it caught my attention. I have always been fascinated with Mexico, which nowadays is primarily and obsession with its cuisine, so I was very excited to try a salad that had inspiration  in this country.  I also thought it would be acceptable to the vegetable-phobic husband, given the mango and lime dressing, the kick of the chipotle and the side serving of avocado.  I knew he wouldn’t get through it if it was served solo on rice, so I whipped up a Mexican inspired spice rub (chipotle chili powder, cumin, black pepper, and a teeny bit of cinnamon) and threw it on some chicken drumsticks which weren’t half bad.  I couldn’t find jicima this week so I substituted with radish, and threw in some extra spinach as I’d munched up some of the carrots during the week for snacks.   I would love to try this with jicama, since I have never even tried the fruit, so let me know if you try it.

The salad was by far the standout of the meal, and even friend Jonny wolfed down a bowl despite his apparent lack of appetite post-flu. I was excited to grab a container of leftovers for my work lunch the next day, and would DEFINITELY make this again.  I’m a bit fussy when it comes to mangoes (as all other fruit really) and I don’t like them too ripe so I had to time this perfectly, but with a bit of help from the trusty fridge I had it just how I liked it.  This is definitely a great alternative to a salsa, coleslaw or even a boring old green salad – go on, try it!

3 cups cooked garbanzo beans (a.k.a. chickpeas) (about 2 cans)

1 red bell pepper

3 carrots

½ large jicima root (or any crunchy veg)

1 cup chopped spinach

½ cup cilantro

Dressing:

1 large, ripe mango

¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

2 large green onions, with tops

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp. sea salt

½ chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (substitute ¼ tsp. ground chipotle or use your favourite chili spice)

Peel mango and place in a blender with all other dressing ingredients. Blend on high until uniform and creamy. It will look like a smoothie. Season to taste.  In a large bowl, pour dressing over garbanzo beans and let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad filling.  As you chop up the vegetables for the salad, add them as you go and stir to get an idea on how much more you need. Stop when the salad is well-dressed but not super gloppy.

Serve with sliced avocado and lime wedges on the side. Garnish with more cilantro, sprouts, pumpkin seeds, or whatever you have on hand.

To make it a complete meal: Serve this salad on top of coconut rice or quinoa, and make sure to include the side of avocado.