Strawberry and smoky chickpea salad

Tonight I wanted to bring you a long winded post with lots of photos.  However I don't have time and, even if I did, my computer would not let me bring you the photos.  So instead I am posting a simple salad.  (I had more photos but I had problems with a few of them!)

But let me ramble for a moment.  I have recently started a Healthy Bowls Pinterest board.  All these bowls of beautiful vegies have given me Pinterest envy.  I want my dinner to look this beautiful.  Perhaps wee Sylvia is onto something when she asks for her vegies to be separate on her plate.  It could even be that I disliked lots of vegies as a child that I could only learn to love them when mixed up and now I am finally beginning to just enjoy them, albeit with a salad dressing so good that Sylvia was happy to eat her vegies with it.

I thought the vinaigrette was helping her to enjoy eating spinach.  Then a few nights later I serve her baby spinach with no dressing expecting her to leave it.  Instead she picks up a great big pile and takes a big mouthful.  The child in me is still amazed at her love of vegies.  Fortunately the adult in me was ready for some healthy vegies after a carbs and chocolate trivia night.

The salad was just what I needed.  It started with cheap strawberries.  I fossicked around in the fridge, made a lovely vinaigrette from an Eats Well With Others roasted berry salad and made smoky chickpeas using my tofu bacon marinade.  The chickpeas were a bit salty so I think I would reduce the tamari next time.  Otherwise I was smitten.  With a savoury muffin on the side, dinner was ready.

I am sending the salad to Healthy Vegan Fridays #58, No Croutons Required, Eat Your Greens, Gluten Free Fridays #155 and Meatless Mondays.

More healthy main meal salads on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Avocado, pickled ginger and tofu soba noodle salad (gf, v)
Couscous salad with chermoula (v)
Gado Gado with marmalade (gf, v)
Leon superfood salad (gf)
Mock tuna (chickpea) salad (gf, v)
Morroccan chickpea and couscous salad (v)
Smoky potato, bean and corn salad (gf, v)

More healthy main meal salads elsewhere:
BBQ Roasted chickpea summer salad - taste space
Chickpea nicoise salad - Eats Well With Others
Chopped BBQ tofu salad - Delicious Knowledge
Diane Henry's Crazy Salad - Kahakai Kitchen
Greens salad with creamy avocado dressing - Two Peas and Their Pod
Kale, brown rice, red quinoa salad with miso dressing - Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary
Power salad wit orange vinaigrette - Tina's Chic Corner

Strawberry and smoky chickpea salad
An original Green Gourmet Giraffe salad with vinaigrette from Eats Well With Others

Strawberries, halved
Carrots, cut into batons
Cucumber, cut into batons
Cooked beetroot, cut into wedges
Baby spinach
Smoky chickpeas (below)
Balsamic vinaigrette (below)

Smoky chickpeas:
1 tbsp nooch
2-3 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp maple
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp liquid smoke
400g tin chickpeas

Balsamic vinaigrette:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
salt and black pepper, to taste

To make smoky chickpeas, mix all ingredients except chickpeas to make marinade.  Fry chickpeas in marinade over medium high until marinade is absorbed and chickpeas are slightly sticky.  Set aside to cool.

Whisk all the balsamic vinaigrette ingredients together.

Arrange chickpeas and other ingredients in individual bowls and drizzle with vinaigrette.

On the Stereo:
The Velvet Underground and Nico