Cranberry Chickpea and Feta Salad with Orange Za’atar Dressing
A quick cranberry chickpea and feta salad with toasted chickpeas, dried cranberries, fresh mint, parsley, pistachios, and a za'atar-orange dressing. Vegan-adaptable, meal-prep friendly, and ready in 20 minutes.
Servings: 4 Side Salads
Calories: 238kcal
Equipment
- 1 colander
- 1 chef knife
- 1 cutting board
- 1 medium-sized bowl
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 30 ounces (2 - 15 ounce cans) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta or vegan feta
- ¼ medium red onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
Za'atar orange dressing:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice, about ½ large orange
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1½ teaspoons za'atar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup, or honey
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the chickpeas: Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Then spread them on a clean tea towel and pat dry. Your goal is to get the chickpeas as dry as possible so they can toast.
- Toast the chickpeas: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas in a single layer. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan every minute (ish). You want to get them to be slightly golden, but not crispy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Make the orange za’atar dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, orange zest and juice, red wine vinegar, za’atar, maple syrup, fresh garlic, salt, and black pepper. Once mixed, taste the dressing and adjust the seasonings if needed.
- Toss the chickpeas and dressing: Add the slightly warm chickpeas to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the chickpeas and toss to coat them. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes while you prep the other ingredients.
- Prepare the vegetables: While the chickpeas soak up flavor, dice the red onion and finely chop the parsley and mint. Next, add them to the bowl with the chickpeas and toss everything together.
- Top and serve: Sprinkle crumbled feta cheese over the salad. Serve it immediately or refrigerate it for an hour for a deeper flavor,
Nutrition
Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 293mg | Potassium: 172mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 539IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 1mg