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    Home » Recipes by Meal Type » Vegetarian Lunch Recipes

    Aug 4, 2013 · Modified: Aug 6, 2022 by Becca Heyes · This post may contain affiliate links · 46 Comments

    Lemony walnut chickpea salad with goat's cheese

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    Lemony walnut chickpea salad with goat's cheese

    I'm back on dry land, hurrah! However I now go by the name 'captain' (or just cap'n to those who know me well) and I smoke a pipe. I've also been trying to grow a beard, but so far no luck.

    With minimal cooking facilities on the boat (an oven that barely worked, and about six inches of worktop), we were forced to be a bit creative, or resort to cheese sandwiches three times a day for a week. As much as I love cheese, even that doesn't appeal to me. So instead, I made a chickpea sandwich filling. And I guess I'm now on a bit of a chickpea salad kick, because it's only taken me two days to make another version - this time a lemony walnut chickpea salad with goat's cheese, red onion and rocket (that's arugula to some of you, and 'that frilly green stuff' to others).

    Lemony walnut chickpea salad with goat's cheese

    This salad / sandwich filling has a little bit of everything - sweetness, tanginess, crunchiness, pepperiness (are these even words?), and it all goes together perfectly. Just a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise holds it all together nicely, but if you're one of those (weird) mayonnaise haters, you could always experiment with using yoghurt or sour cream instead. I served mine stuffed inside a pitta bread, but you could have it plain or with salad leaves if you prefer. It'd pack up nicely into a lunch box too.

    Lemony walnut chickpea salad with goat's cheese

    A quick question: does anyone here soak and cook their own chickpeas? It seems like an awful lot of hassle to me so I've only ever used tinned chickpeas, but I wonder if I should give the dried ones a go. Do they actually taste much different / better? I'm pretty sure I won't be able to convince myself to do it unless they're significantly better...

    Anyway, enjoy the recipe!

    Lemony walnut chickpea salad with goat's cheese
     
    Recipe Type: Light lunch
    Author: Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
    Prep time: 10 mins
    Total time: 10 mins
    Serves: 2
    Ingredients
    • 400g tin chickpeas, drained (240g when drained)
    • ½ small red onion, thinly sliced (or ¼ larger red onion)
    • 50g soft goat's cheese, crumbled
    • 20g rocket (arugula), roughly chopped
    • 50g walnuts, chopped
    • 2tbsp mayonnaise (heaped)
    • 2tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • Salt
    • Black pepper
    Instructions
    1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and mix well. Season to taste. Serve on bread, in a pitta pocket, or with salad.
     
    3.2.1251

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Julie says

      September 17, 2020 at 7:55 pm

      So tastey! That really hit the spot!

      Reply
      • Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says

        September 18, 2020 at 1:17 pm

        Thanks Julie!

        Reply
    2. Elizabeth says

      July 13, 2015 at 7:31 pm

      Love, love , love this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing! My husband really likes it, too. Last time I made it he ate nearly all of it--all I got was a large spoonful! Guess I'll need to double it next time!

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        July 13, 2015 at 9:55 pm

        Haha that's great to hear, thanks for your comment Elizabeth! :)

        Reply
    3. Patty Perez says

      October 25, 2014 at 1:39 am

      Amazing!! I'm devouring it as I type this. I added chopped tomato and salted the onions before adding them in so they wouldn't be so strong. This is so good.. thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        October 25, 2014 at 9:09 am

        Thanks Patty, so glad you're enjoying it! :)

        Reply
    4. Maria says

      October 15, 2014 at 10:44 pm

      I am now a HUGE FAN!! I love this quick and easy recipe! I did substitute Feta cheese for the goat cheese only because I already had the Feta in the fridge. I am hooked!

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        October 16, 2014 at 8:26 am

        Thanks Maria! :) Feta sounds like a great substitution!

        Reply
    5. Christina says

      September 10, 2014 at 7:35 am

      Everything's better if it doesn't come from a can/tin. Try making your own, it's really easy and not a lot of bother or hassle at all. Soaking for about 18 hours is the only thing...you have to plan ahead. Here's how I cook beans/chickpeas: http://christinascucina.com/2013/10/simple-healthy-italian-bean-salad.html I hope you try it! CC

      Reply
    6. Nupur says

      September 08, 2014 at 4:21 pm

      The recipe is awesome, and cleverly simple ! Another book mark for me.

      Regarding your Question on anyone soaking and boiling chickpeas. I do that every time I am making some curry out of chickpeas. Coming from India, its kind of a habit and hence "no second thought" thing for me. But yes, if i have to whip up a quick hummus or may be Chickpea Pilaf sort of thing where i know I wont be using more than a cup of them, I simply use a can full.

      And to answer your second bit- Yes, it does taste different. I feel the canned version is somewhat bland and less flavourful than the freshly boiled ones. But then, every one has different taste buds ! :)

      Reply
    7. Suzie k says

      September 05, 2014 at 2:35 am

      This the second recipe I've tried on your blog and was pleasantly surprised. It was a perfect filling for the pita....lots of protein and flavors...creamy with a nice crunch from the walnuts. Can't wait to make this again! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        September 05, 2014 at 9:33 am

        Thanks Suzie, I'm really pleased you're enjoying my recipes so far! :)

        Reply
    8. Betsy says

      April 22, 2014 at 10:21 pm

      Thanks for the recipe! I am looking for some healthy recipes for my pregnancy :)
      Just an FYI, I buy organic dried chickpeas and then use Alton Brown's slow cooker method
      http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/slow-cooker-chickpeas-recipe.html
      Then I let them cool, then portion them into baggies (need a more eco-friendly method for this) and freeze them. I use them for everything!

      Can't wait to head to Trader Joe's to get the ingredients for this!!

      Reply
    9. Jasmine says

      April 07, 2014 at 12:51 am

      Loveeeeeeeee this recipe! I toast my pita pocket....mouth watering! And I leave a little on side to eat on its own.

      Reply
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    Hi, I'm Becca! I've been a vegetarian for 20+ years, and unlike most of my other childhood pursuits, I actually stuck with it! I love cooking vegetarian food that's full of flavour, but doesn't take a lot of effort to make.

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    Hi, I'm Becca! I've been a vegetarian for 20+ years, and unlike most of my other childhood pursuits, I actually stuck with it! I love cooking vegetarian food that's full of flavour, but doesn't take a lot of effort to make.

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