Kale Taco Salad with Crispy Roasted Chickpeas
This vegetarian Kale Taco Salad is loaded with veggie goodness and topped with super flavorful taco-seasoned crispy roasted chickpeas and crispy tortilla strips for delightful texture and crunch!
Servings 6 servings
Calories 269kcal
Ingredients
- 5 cups chopped curly kale
- 1/2-1 tsp olive oil
- pinch salt
- 1 cup black beans (drain/rinse if canned)
- 1 cup frozen corn (thawed or steamed)
- 1 bell pepper (any color)
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- 1/2-1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1/4-1/2 cup shredded carrots
- ¼ cup crushed tortilla chips or 1/2 cup crispy tortilla strips
- fresh chopped cilantro to taste
CRISPY SEASONED CHICKPEAS
- 15 oz cooked/canned chickpeas
- 1 TBSP avocado oil
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
CILANTRO LIME DRESSING
- 3 TBSP fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup avocado oil or light olive oil
- 1 TBSP white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp honey
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- 2 TBSP fresh chopped cilantro
HONEY CHIPOTLE DRESSING
- 3 TBSP red wine vinegar
- 1.5 TBSP honey
- ⅓ cup avocado oil plus a little extra to taste if desired
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
- 1 small/medium clove garlic peeled
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 400°F.
- First, let's crisp those chickpeas! Drain, rinse, and blot dry with a few paper towels. Toss the chickpeas with 1 TBSP oil and sprinkle with salt. Arrange in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast on the center rack for 25 minutes until crispy on the outside and tender in the middle. While they're still hot from the oven, sprinkle cumin, paprika, chili powder, and cayenne and mix well to coat.
- While the chickpeas roast, assemble salad and dressing of choice. This way once the chickpeas are fresh from the oven, the salad is ready to eat. Woot!
- There are two tasty dressing options here. For the cilantro lime vinaigrette, combine all the above ingredients in a small mason jar and shake well. To make the chipotle dressing, combine all ingredients in a blender or small food processor and blend/process until smooth and emulsified.
- Wash and dry kale. Remove leaves from stem and finely chop into small pieces. Add to a large bowl and drizzle kale with a teeny bit of olive/avocado oil and a pinch of salt. Massage with your fingers until kale darkens in color and takes on a velvety texture. This little rubdown turns the kale into a tender and delicious salad green!
- Dice tomatoes and bell pepper. Thinly slice or dice jalapeño, removing the seeds/stems. Add to kale along with the black beans, corn, and shredded carrots. Feel free to mix and match veggies here. Shake (or whisk) dressing once more and add a few spoonfuls to the salad. Toss to coat.
- Add crispy chickpeas, tortilla chips/strips, and some fresh chopped cilantro if you'd like! Serve with additional dressing on the side (simply add to taste) and enjoy!
Notes
OPTIONAL EXTRAS: chopped green onion, pico de gallo, salsa, guacamole, chopped avocado, black olives, shredded cabbage or slaw, grated or crumbled cheese.
Nutrition Facts below are estimated for the salad and roasted chickpeas using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust values based on choice of dressing and enjoy!
This recipe yields 6 side-salad sized servings. Portions can also be adjusted into 4 medium salads or about 2-3 large meal-sized salads - depending on how hungry you are.
Nutrition
Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 178mg | Potassium: 770mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 7214IU | Vitamin C: 100mg | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 4mg
