Zucchini & Chickpeas with Chili Oil
From: Ian Seddon's Cookbook
🥘 Ingredients
- chickpeas 2
- extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ tbsp
- Kosher
- medium zucchini 18-21 oz
- shelled roasted pistachios or roasted almonds ½ cup
- fresh basil leaves 1 cup
- fresh mint leaves or basil, dill, or flat-leaf parsley 1 cup
- large lemon 1
- Flaky
- Chili Oil 3 tbsp
- vegan feta 2-4 oz
If your basil is looking like it won’t last until the end of the week, make this meal first or second. Didn’t make the Chili Oil? Just use good-quality extra virgin olive oil in step 5. If you bought an avocado instead of vegan feta, tear it into chunks with your hands (or dice it); season with a squeeze or two of lemon juice and a pinch or two of salt. No-oven option: Instead of roasting the chickpeas in step 3, pan-fry them. Once you’ve drained, rinsed, and dried the chickpeas very well, heat up a large sauté pan over medium-high heat with a glug of olive oil. Once hot, add the chickpeas. Cook undisturbed for a few minutes, then toss, and cook, stirring only occasionally, until a few shades darker. Season generously with salt and pepper. Visual learner? You can watch me make this recipe in this YouTube video. Storage: Store the assembled salad in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s great cold, so no need to reheat. The chickpeas won’t be as crispy, but it will still be delicious! If desired, add on freshly chopped basil/mint, a squeeze of lemon juice, or more vegan feta. Nutrition boost: Serve the zucchini salad over a bed of salad greens lightly dressed with extra virgin olive oil and vinegar, or fold some broccoli sprouts, halved cherry tomatoes, or thinly sliced red/orange bell pepper into the zucchini salad. For added protein, sprinkle the salad with hemp seeds.
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1Gather: chickpeas , extra virgin olive oil , Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, medium zucchini . For the herb topping: shelled roasted pistachios or roasted almonds , fresh basil leaves , fresh mint leaves or basil, dill, or flat-leaf parsley , large lemon , Flaky sea salt, Chili Oil , vegan feta .
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2Arrange a rack in the top third of the oven. Preheat to 425ºF / 220ºC.
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3Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then dry well by transferring them to a dish towel and rubbing gently to remove water (or transfer them to a salad spinner and run it several times until dried).
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4Transfer chickpeas to a rimmed sheet pan. Toss with the olive oil, 1 tsp kosher salt, and pepper to taste. Spread out in an even layer. Roast for 20 minutes , then remove from the oven. Shake the pan to toss. Roast until crispy, golden all over, and browned in spots, another 7 to 10 minutes.
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5While the chickpeas roast, prepare your side salad (if you’re making one), julienne the zucchini, and make the Herb Topping. Zucchini: (I recommend watching the video tutorial here.) Trim the zucchini ends and tops, then slice in half crosswise. Slice the zucchini halves lengthwise into ¼-inch (.5 cm) thick slabs. Stack a few slabs on top of each other, then slice those into ¼-inch (.5 cm) thick batons. Now slice the batons crosswise—you’re aiming for bite-sized matchsticks. Herb Topping: Chop the pistachios. Chop the basil and mint (or, if you have time, you can chiffonade them); leave any small leaves whole. Combine the herbs and nuts in a medium bowl. Zest the lemon into the bowl of herbs, then season the mixture with a few pinches of flaky salt and several twists of pepper. Mix together to combine. Set aside.
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6Assemble: Add the zucchini to a large bowl. Stir the Chili Oil well with a clean spoon, then pour 3 tbsp on the zucchini. Add 1 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice (from the zested lemon in step 4b), then gently toss. Add the Herb Topping, roasted chickpeas, and feta, and toss to combine. Taste, adding flaky salt or pepper to taste, lemon juice for tang, or another drizzle of Chili Oil, if desired. Serve with your side salad, if you made one.