Chickpea Salad with Tomatoes and Chipotle

Summertime calls for light, fresh food with a bit of spice to keep us cool. But we still need substance to feel satisfied. This bean salad fits the bill perfectly, with chickpeas, a creamy dressing, fresh juicy summer tomatoes and a touch of heat from chipotle…just yummy.

Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredient List:

• 1-inch piece kombu or 1 bay leaf
• 1 ½ cups dried chickpeas, sorted and rinsed, soaked with 1 tablespoon baking soda for 1 hour
• 5 cups spring or filtered water
• 1/3 cup sesame tahini
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons brown rice syrup
• ½ red onion, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon finely minced canned chipotle
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 3-4 plum tomatoes, diced, do not peel or seed
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, finely minced
• ½ cup shelled pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted

Step By Step Instructions:

Drain and rinse chickpeas very well to remove baking soda.

Place kombu or bay on the bottom of a pressure cooker, with beans and water on top. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Seal the lid and bring to full pressure. Reduce heat to low and cook for 40 minutes. Allow pressure to reduce naturally, open the lid and check the beans for tenderness. If done to your satisfaction, drain beans and set aside. If still too hard, continue cooking (not under pressure) until tender.

Transfer beans to a mixing bowl and continue the salad. Combine tahini, salt, lime juice, oil and rice syrup in a bowl, whisking until smooth. Adjust flavor to your taste. Set aside.

Mix onion, chipotle, cumin, tomatoes and cilantro in with cooked beans and stir in dressing to coat. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve garnished with pumpkin seeds.

Cook’s Tip: To toast pumpkin seeds, heat a dry skillet over medium heat and toast seeds, stirring, until they are slightly puffed and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Cook’s Tip: You can use canned organic chickpeas for this recipe to save time. Be sure to rinse them very well before use.