Celery Cucumber Chickpea Salad

I’m thrilled to be back after a short time away. Now, it’s time to share with you this great recipe I’ve recently created. It was born partly out of my need for a quick and healthy meal. This celery cucumber chickpea salad is just what I needed to give me that extra time to finish some school projects. You’ll be surprised how such a simple and healthy meal can be so tasty. Be sure to make a large enough batch ahead of time to enjoy over the next few days.

While I was surfing Instagram in search of some light and refreshing salad recipes, I came across a refreshing celery salad recipe shared by my friend Willow. Immediately, I knew this one was going to be the inspiration for my next recipe. (BTW, you should definitely check out “31 days of healthy recipes” on her blog willcookforfriends.com, many of which are gluten-free and vegan).

In the past, the only way I would serve celery raw was with a homemade hummus or peanut butter dip. Now that I’ve developed this super refreshing celery cucumber chickpea salad, celery stalks and dip are going to have to take the back seat.

As with most Chinese cooking, chopping is the most time consuming part of preparing this recipe. Are you ready to make some rhythm on your cutting board? Here are the ingredients I chopped.

Celery

English cucumber

Cilantro leaves

Mint leaves

Green onion

Garlic

Thai chili pepper (optional)

You can either cook your own chickpeas or use a can of cooked chickpeas for this recipe. I personally love to cook my own because I get to save the salt-free brine from the chickpea and use it as vegan egg white, a.k.a. aquafaba, in other recipes. Nothing gets wasted.

What comes to your mind when you hear the words, leftover salads? Wilted leaves and soggy texture, right? Not something you even want to bother saving for the next meal.

However, you’ll be amazed by how this celery cucumber chickpea salad improves in taste with extra marinating time. I found the chickpeas actually became much tastier when I served it for the second meal. The tart flavor from the lemon-olive oil and the aroma from the herbs are beautifully soaked into the chickpeas.

You will appreciate how such a small amount of work in the kitchen can bring you a healthy and tasty meal. By making a large enough batch for dinner so there are enough leftovers for an even better tasting lunch, you will save even more time.

5 from 1 vote

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Celery Cucumber Chickpea Salad

Prep Time

15 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

By making a large enough batch of this celery cucumber chickpea salad for dinner so there are enough leftovers for an even better tasting lunch, you will save even more time.

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Vegan | Gluten-free | Paleo

Keyword: celery, chickpeas, gluten-free salad, mint, vegan salad

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Joyce @Light Orange Bean

Ingredients

• 2½ cups chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped English cucumber seedless cucumber
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 3 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• optional 1 Thai chili pepper, sliced
• Dressing
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons coconut sugar or erythritol for lower carb option
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• ½ tablespoon roasted black sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Toss together all the salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix together all dressing ingredients. Pour the dressing into the salad bowl and toss gently. Cover the salad bowl with lid and store in refrigerator if you don’t serve it immediately. It can be kept in refrigerator up to 3 days.