Sweet Peach Spinach Salad with Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

Hannah Sunderani
Aug 16, 2016
4 min read

It pains me to think that the end of summer is here! Which means that soon we will have to say goodbye to all the amazing fresh fruits and veggies we have become so accustomed to eating. Noooo! Can't we extend the invite to a few more weeks!?

And with this sad sad goodbye I'm going to miss the peaches the most! Yep, peaches have stolen my heart for my favourite juicy fruit of Summer 2016. I have been nomming on them at any possible occasion - breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. This slurpy little fruit has found it's way into my daily routine. And I can't help but succumb to the sweet sticky liquid running down my fingers and hands from the slightest pierce of flesh. Not even forgetting a napkin will stop me from the joyous occasion!

Saturday mornings are spent at the markets in Lille, and I've been picking up a BIG bag of peaches to get us through the week. My favourite vendor has the BEST peaches this month! White flesh, yellow flesh, and DONUT PEACHES! Side note: Have you ever had donut peaches before!? They are the most wondrous juicy peaches with a sweet and floral-like flavour. Here they're called "pêches plats," and honestly they are heaven! I hadn't tried them until we moved to France and I'm ashamed I've spend the last 26 years of my life not enjoying this amazing peach! So when my friends and family came for the wedding it was my mission to have them indulge in these sweet treats. They were wide-eyed in disbelief about how intensely juicy and flavourful they were! If you can get your hands on these peaches give them a try. They are life changing! But as I was saying, over the past month I've been leaving the Saturday markets with at least 15-20 peaches in all different varieties (including donut peaches of course). And they easily make their way into delicious oaty breakfasts, crumble desserts, and in summer salads!

So naturally this Sweet Peach Spinach Salad with Spicy Roasted Chickpeas has become a go-to salad recipe for me. It's easy to throw together and is perfectly healthy and refreshing. I love how it makes me feel when I am eating something so healthy, but so ridiculously tasty too! This salad definitely holds its own for delicious taste. The peaches add a juicy sweetness, which when paired with spicy oven roasted chickpeas and a mustardy vinaigrette offers a complete flavour experience. Add some creamy avocado and sprinkle with sunflower seeds and you're looking at a restaurant worthy salad. In fact, it's so crowd-pleasing that I prepared it twice this weekend for bbq's with friends. And everyone went back for seconds! But two evenings in a row still didn't manage to bore me of this salad, so I decided to make it for our hiking trip on Monday to Cap Gris Nez. Mitch and I spent the day hiking the Cap on the northern coast of France and this salad was perfect for our picnic. The peaches offered an instant pop of sugar to quickly restore our energy levels, and with avocados and chickpeas we had our healthy fats and protein to keep us satiated and strong. All we needed to do to ensure the salad wasn't soggy was pack the vinaigrette separately, and add it to the salad when we were ready to nom!

Whether it's for a BBQ, picnic, or simply for a mid-week salad I hope you enjoy this Sweet Peach Spinach Salad with Spicy Roasted Chickpeas as much as we do. And let's see if you can stop yourself from craving it three nights in a row!

The struggle is real my friends. :)

Sweet Peach Spinach Salad with Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

Serves: 2| Prep Time: 10-15 mins | Cook Time: 20-30 mins

Ingredients:

2 large handfuls spinach
1/2 avocado
1 peach
Dijon Vinaigrette (see recipe below)
1/3 cup roasted spicy chickpeas (see recipe below)
2 tbsp sunflower seeds

For the Roasted Spicy Chickpeas:

1 can chickpeas (rinsed and patted dry)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

For the Dijon Vinaigrette Recipe:*

1 small green onion
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
salt and pepper

*Note: you might have extra dressing. Woohoo! It will keep in fridge up to 3-4 days.

Directions:

To make the roasted chickpeas: Pre-heat oven to 375F. Line a baking tray with tin foil and spread out chickpeas. Sprinkle on your paprika, garlic powder, sugar, and cayenne pepper. Crack with salt and pepper, and drizzle on evoo. Mix chickpeas gently on tray to ensure all are coated with oil. Place in oven to bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy. (To stop chickpeas from burning, open the oven after 10 minutes and rotate chickpeas with a wooden spoon. To check if they are crunchy let cool for 2-3 minutes, then taste.)
To make the dijon vinaigrette dressing: Finely chop your green onion and add to a jar, add your dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup and evoo. Season with salt and pepper. Cover jar with lid and shake to combine.
Prepare salad by adding two large handfuls of spinach to a mixing bowl. Chop your avocado and peach and add to the bowl. Drizzle with enough vinaigrette until salad is nicely coated. Serve salad on plates and top with Spicy Roasted Chickpeas and sunflower seeds.

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