Zesty Chickpea and Kale Salad with Vegan Parmesan

As you might have noticed I love chickpeas in all forms. They really are my go to legume because I love their taste and texture, the fact that they are extremely healthy is just a very beautiful bonus. The very same goes for kale. I am an absolute lover of kale and it doesn't matter to me if it is juiced, roasted, raw or in crispy and dehydrated form - I am head over heels in love with that vegetable.

Frankly it was only a matter of time until I decided to mix them together in a salad for instant chickpea and kale gratification. I added a good splash of lemon and wasn't too shy with my use of garlic so you can alter that to your preference. To me however it is the perfect salad after a long day. I tend to serve it with a nice piece of naan bread or any other flat bread but you can of course eat it any way you like or serve it as side dish.

Ingredients : metric ( imperial )

Serves 4

• 2 cans chickpeas or 500g  (1 lb)  freshly cooked chickpeas
• 100g (3 ½ oz) kale leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 lemon, juiced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper 
• 1 tbs vegan parmesan 

If you use canned chickpeas, rinse them and pour them into a colander and let them drain. If you cook them from scratch then follow this instruction.

Take the kale and remove the stalks, the stems and then chop it finely. Peel and chop the garlic and add it together with the kale into a large mixing bowl. Zest the lemon, which should yield about one teaspoon and juice the same lemon and add both zest and juice to the bowl. Pour 2 tablespoon of olive oil over the kale and season with half a teaspoon pepper and half a teaspoon of salt. Mix well and let it sit for 2-3 minutes.

Add the chickpeas and carefully mix until well combined and all chickpeas are coated in dressing. Add a generous seasoning of salt and pepper and about 1 tablespoon of vegan Parmesan right before serving.

As I already mentioned I like serving mine with flat bread, usually I take a large piece and cut it into quarters and fill them before placing them into a serving bowl. You can add another salad vegetable to the center if you want to. I tend to use baby plum tomatoes, cut up cucumber or red sweet peppers.

Now all you need to do is take your quarter of flat bread filled with gorgeous chickpea and kale salad and enjoy. It is fun to eat them as they are with your fingers but you can transfer them into smaller bowls and eat them with any cutlery that floats your boat.