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!
⅓cupavocado oil plus a little extra to tasteif desired
¾tspsalt
¼tsppepper
¼tspdried oregano
1chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1small/medium clove garlicpeeled
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.