Chinese Chickpea Salad...

Chinese Chickpea Salad

Before I became vegan I used to make a Chinese Chicken Salad that my family loved.  I have had a few requests for the salad so I "veganized" it and used baked chickpeas instead of chicken.  It was very good.  I would recommend marinating the chickpeas for a full 30 minutes before baking them so they have more flavor. Below is the recipe.  Give it a try and tell me what you think.

Chinese Chickpea Salad

Salad Ingredients:

1 medium green cabbage, chopped

3 Tbsp. onion powder

1 small-medium pkg. slivered almonds

4 Tbsp. sesame seeds

4 pkg. Top Ramon noodles teriyaki flavor, crushed

4 carrots, chopped

6 stalks of celery, chopped

5 stalks of broccoli, cut into bit size pieces

1 cup of sugar snap peas, chopped

Chickpeas:

1 15oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

¼ cup soy sauce

2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil

1 Tbsp. peanut oil

Dressing:

4 flavor packets from Top Ramen

2 Tbsp. sugar

½ cup cornola oil

½ cup toasted sesame oil

½ cup rice vinegar

1 tsp. pepper

½ cup soy sauce

Mix chickpeas with soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and peanut oil; place in gallon size Ziploc bag and seal with all air removed.  Lay flat so you have a single layer of chickpeas so they all marinate evenly for a full 30 minutes.  Heat oven to 400 F.  Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking oil.  Place chickpeas on tray, discard extra marinade, bake for 20-25 minutes, until outside is crunchy.

While the chickpeas cook; mix all the salad ingredients and toss well. 

Blend dressing ingredients; mix well.  Keep separate. 

Top salad with warm chickpeas and serve with dressing on the side. 

Store salad and dressing in refrigerator.

Serves 10-12 as a meal.

Recipe by The Vegan Paige