Kale Salad with Smoky Chickpeas and Berries

For the past seven days, I’ve been on a metabolic reboot. I discovered this program completely by accident when I was searching for why my weight loss had hit a plateau. Haylie Pomroy, a nutritionist and author of Metabolism Revolution, gives a 14 day plan to reboot your metabolism and lose 14 pounds in 14 days. So far, I’ve lost slightly more than 5 pounds in 7 days.

Anyway, this salad recipe from June 2018 Cooking Light issue hit home because it has everything I need for my lunch meal; protein (chickpeas provide an excellent source of vegetable protein), lots of veggies and fruit! I was a little suspect to combine fruit and veggies but trust me this is a keeper! Especially for summer. The lemony dressing makes you feel like you’re on summer vacation at the beach.

Kale Salad with Smoky Chickpeas and Berries

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups baby kale (about 2 oz.)
1/2 cup cocktail cucumber slices
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/3 cup Smoky Roasted Chickpeas
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped smoked almonds, salted

Whisk together olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Add kale, and massage gently until kale is lightly wilted. Add cucumber, raspberries, strawberries, and bell pepper; toss well to coat. Arrange salad on a plate; top with Smoky Roasted Chickpeas and almonds.

Smoky Roasted Chickpeas

1 (15-oz.) can unsalted chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil or cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Spread chickpeas on several layers of paper towels, and pat dry. Spread in an even layer on a small rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with oil, (I opted to spray with cooking spray to reduce calories and fat) and shake pan to coat. Bake at 400°F 30 minutes.

Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle chickpeas evenly with paprika, salt, and cayenne pepper; stir well. Return to oven, and bake at 400°F until chickpeas are very crisp and crunchy (but not burned), 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely; store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

These make an excellent between meal protein snack too!