Roasted Chickpeas and Spinach Salad

             This hearty salad has nutrients rich spinach and antioxidants rich chickpeas in it. I love chickpeas either in the form of curry or rice or salad or snack. As they were fully loaded with fiber, proteins and antioxidants.  This versatile salad has roasted chickpeas, which has exotic smell because of addition of cumin, later it was sprinkled over the spinach bed along with onion and cherry tomatoes. This is good for summertime outdoor meals. Try this refreshing, colorful and low calorie salad and enjoy.


   Ingredients

        1/2 Cup of Canned Chickpeas 
        3 Tbsp of Olive Oil
        1/2 Tsp of Cumin Seeds
        1/4 Tsp of Turmeric Powder
        1/2 Tsp of Red Chilly Powder
        1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced
        5 - 10 Grape Tomatoes
        2/3 Cup of Spinach Leaves
        1 Tbsp of Lemon Juice
        2 Tsp of Parmesan Cheese
        Salt and Pepper to taste

   Method

   Roasting Chickpeas in the oven

• Preheat the oven to 425 degree F. Mix the chickpeas in a bowl with 1 tbsp of olive oil, the cumin seeds, turmeric powder and red chilly powder and season with salt and pepper. 
• Transfer to a large nonstick roasting pan and roast in the preheated oven for 12- 15 mins, until nutty and golden.

     
   Making of salad

• Meanwhile, place the onion and tomatoes in a large bowl with the spinach and toss gently to combine. Mound onto serving plates.
• Remove the chickpeas from the oven and sprinkle them over the spinach salad. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Drizzle serving plate with the lemon juice and the remaining olive oil and serve immediately.

    Tips

• You can use crumbles of feta cheese instead of Parmesan cheese.
• Also you can use red wine vinaigrette for dressing.
• Add paprika to chickpeas for color, in place of red chilly powder and turmeric powder.
• If you don't get canned chickpeas, then you need to soak chickpeas for 8 hrs, pressure cook it with salt and water and roast it in oven .

    Health Benefits of Chickpeas and Spinach
       
    Chickpeas

• High in fiber and protein and antioxidants.
• Low in glycemic index.
• Helps to lower LDL cholesterol level.
• Reduce the risk of Heart disease.

    Spinach

• One cup of cooked spinach has 42 mg of calcium.
• Spinach is your best bet for folic acid, which helps keep cells all over the body growing and functioning well.
• It's an incredible non animal protein source of iron, which delivers oxygen all over the body, providing much-needed energy to kids' muscles.
• Spinach also helps regulate blood sugar and keeps your children's hearts healthy because it's high in potassium and magnesium.

 

Roasted Chickpeas and Spinach Salad
2 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		299.6
Total Fat		22.0 g
	Saturated Fat	3.3 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	2.1 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	15.4 g
Cholesterol		2.0 mg
Sodium		816.0 mg
Potassium		254.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate		22.1 g
	Dietary Fiber	4.0 g
	Sugars	1.7 g
Protein		5.0 g

Vitamin A	22.6 %
Vitamin B-12	0.6 %
Vitamin B-6	18.7 %
Vitamin C	35.3 %
Vitamin D	0.0 %
Vitamin E	13.8 %
Calcium	7.9 %
Copper	7.9 %
Folate	16.1 %
Iron	11.4 %
Magnesium	8.4 %
Manganese	28.6 %
Niacin	1.5 %
Pantothenic Acid	2.5 %
Phosphorus	9.9 %
Riboflavin	3.6 %
Selenium	4.0 %
Thiamin	3.3 %
Zinc	6.1 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.