Cilantro and Lime Chickpea Salad

Let me just start by saying, I ran a 4 mile race today!  Woooo.  I'm quite proud of myself for this.  :)  I've realized that I really do like waking up early and exercising, because it feels so damn good knowing that it's only 9am and you've already accomplished a bunch and still have the whole day ahead of you!  Now I just need to keep up the good work so that I won't die in 2 weeks when I do the Peachtree. 

Anyway, to the main point of this post..  I made Cilantro and Lime Chickpea Salad today!  (Much better than what I did with the other half of my chickpeas the other day.  --See Falafel)  The recipe came from Heather's Dish (via Foodgawker, of course).  This was one of the first Foodgawker recipes that I flagged, and wanted to try it out because it looked so easy, yet so good!  I mean, can you really go wrong with cilantro?!

I didn't have chili powder so I had to nix that ingredient, and was also missing garlic cloves, so I had to use garlic powder instead.  Anyways, with the ingredients that I did have, I got to dicing and chopping, and before I knew it, my Chickpea salad was complete!

Mixing it up...

Final product!

I did notice a few things about the recipe that I would change for next time though.  There was definitely no need for that much oil.  Same could be said for the lime and dijon mustard.  Maybe half or quarter it?  I think my taste buds are a little bland, so that may be why I say this though.  The sugar could be eliminated completely, because I didn't feel like it really did anything for it, so why add empty calories? 

Overall though, I have to say it was quite the success and a healthy, easy, and delicious recipe!

Ingredients:

• 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 loosely packed cups fresh spinach
• 1/2 onion, chopped small
• juice from 4 limes
• 1 bunch of cilantro (about loosely packed cup)
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated on a microplane
• 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Recipe:

1. Chop the spinach finely.
2. Add the chickpeas, onion, and spinach to a large bowl.  
3. In the food processor add the lime juice, cilantro, sugar, mustard, garlic, chili powder, and olive oil.  Process until it comes together into a dressing (about 30-45 seconds).  
4. Pour over the chickpea mixture and stir to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Let sit for about 10 minutes on the counter or overnight in the fridge to let the flavors marry.  Enjoy!