Berry, Asparagus, Quinoa and Feta Salad with Sweet Crispy Chickpeas

Berry, Asparagus, Quinoa and Feta Salad with Sweet Crispy Chickpeas is bursting with spring produce and topped with the most addicting sweet, crispy, maple cinnamon roasted chickpeas! It’s perfect to make any day of the week and beautiful enough for company. It’s sure to become a new favorite!

Thanks to USA Pulses and Pulse Canada for sponsoring this post. As always all opinions are my own.

Do you ever have one of those perfect weekends. Well, for me that day was Saturday. I started the morning with my long run and was finally able to wear shorts again, that in itself made my day. A little later that morning my husband and I went for a hike, because when it’s sunny and 75 degrees is there really anything better? We did a little yard work in the afternoon then headed downtown to one of our favorite restaurants, Linger.

Sunday wasn’t quite as warm, but it was sunny and that’s what matters most to me. We had a relaxing lazy day which is what we both needed and ended the day grilling salmon for dinner and I had to make this Berry, Asparagus, Quinoa and Feta Salad with Sweet Crispy Chickpeas again!

This salad has a seriously long name, but I couldn’t think of any way to shorten it without eliminating an ingredient and each of these ingredients is so important! I did skip the creamy lemon poppy seed dressing in the title, but don’t even think about skipping it when you make the salad.

As the days get warmer I start craving fresh salads like this and hot soups tend to go on the back burner. When I make a main dish salad it has be hearty and not just lettuce with a couple veggies on top. My favorite part about salads are all the toppings and this Berry, Asparagus, Quinoa and Feta Salad with Sweet Crispy Chickpeas is loaded with them as the name suggests.

If I had to pick a favorite topping from this salad it would be the crispy cinnamon honey roasted chickpeas, they are downright addicting! When you make the salad I suggest doubling the amount of roasted chickpeas you make because if you’re like me you’ll probably eat half of them right of the baking sheet. The idea for these sweet crunchy chickpeas came from the candied nuts that you often find in salads similar to this. However, we all know how expensive nuts can be whereas chickpeas only cost about $1.00 per can.

Along with being affordable, chickpeas and all pulses are a great source of protein and fiber which along with the protein in the quinoa make this a great main dish salad. If you’re unfamiliar with the term pulses, it simply refers to the edible seeds of plants in the legume family. Along with chickpeas other types of pulses include, dry beans, dry broad beans, dry peas, cow peas, pigeon peas, lentils, Bambara beans, vetches and lupins.

This Berry, Asparagus, Quinoa and Feta Salad with Sweet Crispy Chickpeas is a delicious salad to enjoy any day of the week and all of it’s beautiful colors make it worthy of a special occasion, such as Easter and Mother’s Day. Enjoy!

Berry, Asparagus, Quinoa and Feta Salad with Sweet Crispy Chickpeas

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Berry, Asparagus, Quinoa and Feta Salad with Sweet Crispy Chickpeas is bursting with spring produce and topped with the most addicting sweet, crispy, maple cinnamon roasted chickpeas!

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Ingredients

Sweet Crispy Chickpeas

• 1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

• 1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• Zest and juice of a lemon
• 2 tablespoons low fat milk
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• Kosher salt to taste

Salad

• 5 ounces baby mixed greens
• 1 cup chopped asparagus, roasted, steamed or raw
• 1 cup quartered strawberries
• 1 cup blackberries
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 3 ounces cubed or crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

Sweet Crispy Chickpeas

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the rinsed chickpeas on a clean towel and pat dry. It's important to get as much moisture off of them as possible so that they get crispy.
3. In a bowl toss together the chickpeas, oil and salt.
4. Dump the chickpeas onto the prepared baking sheet and spread them into a single layer. Set the bowl aside.
5. Roast the chickpeas for 20 minutes then remove from the oven and shake the pan. Roast for another 20 minutes then remove from the ove.
6.  In the same bowl stir together the honey and cinnamon, then add in the roasted chickpeas and toss together until coated.
7. Return the chickpeas to the baking sheet and roast them for another 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Cool completely on the baking sheet before serving.

Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

1. In a small bowl whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until smooth.
2. Store the dressing in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Salad

1. Place the mixed greens in a large serving bowl.
2. Top the greens with the asparagus, strawberries, blackberries, quinoa and feta.
3. Serve the chickpeas and dressing alongside the salad or wait until you are ready to serve to add them to the salad.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 336 Total Fat: 11g Saturated Fat: 4g Cholesterol: 19mg Fiber: 10g Sugar: 21g Protein: 16g