Serves: 4
Cost: ~€2.30
Preparation time: ~25 minutes
Calories: ~340 per serving
This post could have run under many names – “chickpea salad” being perhaps the most boring of them. I’ve never made a deconstructed anything in my life… I’m not even quite sure what the term means in the culinary world… but it does seem strangely apt for this dish, so I went with it. I have raved before about my undying love for hummus… It may sound odd but this stuff is probably my favourite food and while there are a multitude of worse things (for the health I mean) I could love to eat in the world – cookies, ice-cream, chocolate (hell, I love those too, but not quite so much!) – despite what many people think, hummus isn’t that healthy, at least not if it’s made well, and by well I mean “well lubricated with plenty of olive oil). Not only is there no small amount which is poured in during preparation, but it’s even traditionally served streaked through with liberal dashes of the stuff as well!
I know, I know – olive oil isn’t so terrible, and chickpeas are great, but it’s still fat and if you’re trying to drop a few kilos you don’t want to be getting too cozy with that beloved bottle. Well, that’s a bit of a problem for this ol’ hummus lover here. I could make a “healthier” version, you know, with less oil or something, but that’s not very exciting, is it? Besides, there must be thousands of hummus recipes on the internet, and everyone has their own way of making it, so I thought I’d aim for something a little more interesting.
I should actually credit the idea for this to my wife. She put the idea in my head and I thought about it a bit and decided just what a great idea it was… good wifey; not just a pretty face! So, think about what you normally eat hummus with; sure, some people are crazy and stick it on ice-cream, but most people would probably eat it with bread, crudités, maybe in a sandwich, right? So how about sticking all the ingredients for hummus into a bowl, adding the afore mentioned crudités and significantly less oil and stirring it all up?
The result is a delicious chickpea salad with a wonderful, rich “hummus-like” flavour, thanks to the lemon juice and tahini paste. It has the filling, nourishing, satisfying effect from the chickpeas, and the wonderful crunch from the vegetables. If you love hummus and want to try something a bit different, give this a go. It’s fast and easy to make and the good thing is, like hummus, you can make a big batch, and come back to it over the next couple of days and dip in for a lunch or a snack every so often. One note: if you add bread, you might want to keep this separate unless you’re eating the whole lot immediately as it will go soft in the tahini dressing and the lack of the crunch from the bread does detract a little from the final eating experience! Enjoy everyone – I hope you enjoy today’s video as well! Have a great Monday and I’ll be back on Thursday with something new!
Deconstructed, Reconstructed Hummus
[learn_more caption=”Video Recipe” state=”open”]
Ingredients
- ~500g prepared Chickpeas
- Half a head of Cauliflower
- A good handful of Radishes
- A 10-15cm length of Cucumber
- ~3 slices of Bread
- 1 red Onion
- 2 large cloves of Garlic
- Juice from 2 Lemons
- 2 tbsps Olive Oil
- 2 tbsps Tahini Paste
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start off by preheating your oven to about 160 degrees Celsius. Chop the bread into small cubes and drizzle over 1 tbsp of the Olive Oil. Toss the cubes in the oil and then place on a tray in the oven. Shake the pan periodically to ensure even cooking. Leave the cubes cooking until they’ve started to take on a light golden-brown colour – about 20 minutes.
- While the bread is roasting, peel and finely chop the red onion. Trim the radishes, and chop, along with the cucumber into pieces roughly the same size as a chickpea. Break down the cauliflower into small, bite-sized florets and place the onion, radishes, cucumber, cauliflower and chickpeas into a large bowl.
- Mix the remaining 1tbsp of Olive Oil in a small pot with the Tahini Paste and Lemon Juice. Peel and mince the garlic and add this in too. Mix well to create a creamy emulsion.
- Once the toasted bread is ready, add into the bowl with the rest of the vegetables. Pour the Tahini Paste sauce over the top and mix for a few minutes to ensure everything is well coated.
- Add in some freshly ground salt and pepper to taste, serve immediately and enjoy! If you’re planning on serving the salad at a later time then consider keeping the bread separate until the last minute in order to keep it crisp.
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