Saturday, September 3, 2011

Spicy Chickpea and Arugula Salad

Spicy Chickpea and Arugula Salad

Yum! I love the peppery bite of arugula, and was very pleased that I was able to eat it and still enjoy the taste post-op. This Mediterranean inspired salad was one of my favorite summer dishes, and I was thrilled that with a little tweaking it became WLS friendly. I typically dice the onions and the eggs and make the chickpea dressing ahead of time, then just toss the salad before serving, but you can also toss the hot dressing over the arugula for a warm salad (although the arugula will not be crisp). You can adjust the flavors if you like and use different spices from the Middle East, India, or Africa, and any lettuce can be substituted for the arugula. If you want a lighter, less protein rich dish, you can cut the dressing and number of eggs in half. If you want a less-light dish with more protein, adding grilled or roasted chicken or turkey is great – and so is bacon if you want to completely indulge! Originally the dish used 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, and if you have the calories to spare or need to increase the fat in your diet you can saute the ginger and garlic in the olive oil and omit the chicken stock. This dish can easily be made into a vegetarian version simply by using vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock.

1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon minced garlic
¼ cup chicken stock or broth (for testing we used Kitchen Basics chicken stock) (5 calories, 1.25 grams protein)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
Dash cayenne pepper
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cooked chickpeas (286 calories, 11.9 grams protein)
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 packet Stevia or Splenda
½ diced medium red onion (20 calories, .5 grams protein)
4 cups arugula leaves (24 calories, 2.4 grams protein)
2 diced hard-cooked eggs (156 calories, 12.6 grams protein)
2 diced hard-cooked egg whites (108 calories, 5.4 grams protein)

Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. Liberally grease with non-stick cooking spray once hot. Saute the ginger and garlic for one minute, then add the broth and the spices. Bring to a brisk broil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and add the chickpeas. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the liquid has been reduced by about half. Remove from the heat and mix in the vinegar and Splenda. Chill the dressing until ready to serve, for up to 48 hours. Before serving spread the arugula onto six salad plates and sprinkle with the red onion. Pour the dressing over top and sprinkle with the diced egg.

Makes six servings.

599 calories, 34 grams protein total
99.8 calories, 5.68 grams protein per serving

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