I’ve been eating some variation on this salad all week, so I had to post about it today!  When I’m working from home, I love taking some time for myself in the middle of the day to step away from the computer and focus on lunch.  I have always used lunch as my main veggie course for the day, so this big, satisfying salad really fit the bill.  Filling the whole plate with lettuce and toppings at home makes it feel that much more special than just eating a pre-packed salad out of my Tupperware container in the office break room, which helps me re-center and appreciate a small perk of the work from home lifestyle.  Work from home times can get quiet and boring, so it’s important to me to keep it special through my lunches and enjoy this period of life as much as possible!

This salad hits a lot of good flavor notes, and has so many contrasting textures (fresh, crunchy lettuce, soft, creamy goat cheese) that it stays interesting while you eat it. I love the combinations of goat cheese and chickpeas here, both add a nice savory component that is brightened by the lemon dressing.  I’ve made this salad by crisping the chickpeas in some olive oil first (totally optional), as well as adding some tomatoes to the salad (delicious).  I’m writing up the base recipe here, but feel free to add whatever veggies you have on hand that look good to you! 

This salad uses the same dressing as my Nicoise salad that I posted a couple of weeks ago, so if that seems familiar, that’s why!  If I’m really good at meal prepping for the week, I’ll remember to make a batch of this dressing and keep it in a container in the fridge so I’m set for salads for the week.

Recipe down below, photo up top!

Chickpea and Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients:

• For the Salad:
  • 1-2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • ½ cup of chickpeas
  • ¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled
• For the Dressing:
  • 1 shallot, chopped finely
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp honey
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ cup olive oil

Method:

1. Add all of the ingredients for the dressing into a sealable container.  Seal and shake vigorously to combine, set aside.
2. Wash, dry, and chop romaine lettuce into bite sized pieces, and place in a layer across the plate.  Top with chickpeas and crumbled goat cheese.
3. Shake the dressing container to combine and pour the desired amount of dressing over the top of the salad. Remaining dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for future salads!
4. Enjoy!