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May 31, 2011

Chickpea & Raisin Salad

chickpea & raisin salad

I have a problem reading recipes. When I look at a recipe, I pay close attention to the ingredients and instructions. If there’s a total execution time, well that’s cool too, but I never really pay close attention to the serving size, unless I need to make enough for a crowd. For some reason my brain assumes that most recipes serve enough for 4 which means Casey and I might have leftovers. I know, it’s stupid.

chickpea & raisin salad

So when I made this Chickpea & Raisin Salad and went to rinse 3 cans of chickpeas, I got a little nervous. Let me spell this out for you- this recipe serves not just two, but EIGHT people.

Throughout the week, I ate this salad and mixed it up in several different ways and am happy to report that it didn’t bore me one bit. It’s perfect on its own, but tastes wonderful with feta, spinach, cucumbers, and Italian parsley. Throw it in a wrap! Add some to your salad!  It would be great with couscous and grilled chicken and I’d even try throwing some carrot shreds in. Basically, it’s extremely versatile, so incredibly simple and can be eaten at any temperature! I think you’ll love the subtle hint of cumin mixed with the sweet juicy raisins. Just remember that this recipe makes a lot and if you want to brighten it up, add more vinegar.

And we’re off!

Gather your ingredients.

ingredient gathering

Put the vinegar, oil & sugar in a saucepan.

making dressing

Add in the raisins and let the mixture come up to a simmer. Stop. Set aside. Cool.

simmering

Chop up the cilantro & green onion.

greens

Toss it in a bowl with the chickpeas & cumin. STIR.

mixing

Now add in your cooled raisins. MIX.

hello raisins

And here it is!

stir

It’s a nice addition to a spinach salad.

dinner tonight

Enjoy!

Chickpea & Raisin Salad

Serves 8
(recipe slightly adapted from Real Simple Magazine)

  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 3 15.5 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro (you can sub with Italian Parsley)
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • kosher salt and black pepper

In a small saucepan, combine the raisins, vinegar, oil and sugar and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, toss the chickpeas, cilantro, scallions, and raisin mixture with cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

  • Katrina

    These simple salads can be so tasty! Love this.

  • jenn

    it turns out, this is EXACTLY what i want for dinner. thank you!

  • Vanessa

    this sounds amazing.

    Have you tried the seasoned chickpeas from Traders? I just got a little package of them and am trying to figure out what to toss them into…and if I like them enough, how to recreate them myself

  • Becca

    Yummy! I can’t wait to try it.

    Thanks for sharing

  • Ashley

    Mmmm! This looks so good! I love chickpeas any way, so I’m definitely going to try this.
    Oh, and I just bought 4 colours of that little white bowl in the top picture from Anthropologie! They are the cutest.

    • Tracy

      You spotted it! I love those anthro bowls- and they are pretty reasonable too! Can’t beat them.

      • Ashley

        OMG yes! I’m from Ontario, Canada, and was on vacay in Myrtle Beach last week, so I bought those bowls (and that really cool ceramic farmers market container you featured a while back) at the groovy Anthro store there (which was AMAZING), and flew them home with me. They were SO cheap, I couldn’t resist. And then I found out there are two Anthro stores in Toronto! I’m so psyched to go and buy that egg crate thing! My obsession with all of their stuff started with you, haha! So thanks! 🙂

  • Vanessa

    This looks so good!

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  • Jessica

    This looks so simple, healthy, and delicious! I want to throw the contents of the final bowl in a pita. yum!!

  • A. de Haan

    Do you think I can substitute the raisins for cranberries?

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  • Paul

    When I saw the addition of cumin in a recipe like this, I was curious, but it ends up being the ingredient that makes this whole thing work. This recipe has immediately become one of my favorites.

  • Laura

    We love this recipe. Thanks for a simple, healthy, tasty salad that uses simple ingredients I always have on hand

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