Healthy Chickpea Salad with Basil Vinaigrette Dressing
We're nuts about this Healthy Chickpea Salad with Basil Vinaigrette Dressing! Quick, easy, and oh so delicious, this veggie-packed salad is ready to rock your plate!
First whisk together your dressing by combining dressing ingredients listed above to a lidded mason jar (or equivalent) and shaking to mix.
Wash and trim the ends of your green beans.
Fill a medium-large bowl with ice water, set aside.
Bring a shallow pot of water to a boil and blanch your green beans until tender yet crisp, approx. 2 minutes.
Drain green beans and immediately toss in ice water to shock the beans. This halts the cooking process and keeps them perfectly tender and vibrant.
Once cooled, remove green beans from water and move to a cutting board.
Chop into bite-sized pieces, then chop your bell pepper and cucumber and add to a medium-large bowl.
For the shredded carrots, give them a rough chop if desired (I like to) and add to the bowl.
Before dressing the salad, I like to strain out the basil (with a mesh strainer) and toss the basil with the veggies. You can 100% leave it in, I just do this for visual appeal and because my partner-in-crime seems to prefer it.
Give your dressing another big shake before serving and pour over the salad. Allow it to sit for a few minutes (or a little longer if you prefer a marinated veggie salad) season with salt and pepper to taste and dig in!
Notes
*NOTE: avocado oil is my favorite cooking/dressing oil but feel free to use your favorite olive oil or grape seed oil if needed.This salad is perfect for a party, picnic, or potluck!Not only is it super quick to throw together, but you can make your salad in advance and simply whisk together the ridiculously speedy dressing the morning of. lf you'd also like to make the dressing in advance, go for it! Simply prep them the day/night before and pop it in the fridge. In this case I'd suggest leaving out the basil until you're ready to serve it (so it keeps that lovely green hue) and also bringing the dressing to room temperature first, as oil tends to solidify when chilled. Now you're good to go!Nutrition Facts below are estimated using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed and enjoy!