Garbanzo, Tomato, and Cilantro Salad with Lime and Chile Dressing

August 23, 2011 | Filed Under Avocado, Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans), Salad | 11 Comments 

Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)!  Tomatoes! Cilantro!  Avocado!  Need I say more?   I had to make this salad when I saw it.  This is another one of Kalyn’s fabulous recipes.   Oh, man!  I feel like I’m in heaven when I eat this salad.  

Paz

Garbanzo, Tomato, and Cilantro Salad with Lime and Chile Dressing (with or without avocado)

Kalyn’s Kitchen

(4 servings, recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from a blog that no longer exists)

Ingredients:

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed well and drained

4-5 tomatoes or 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, diced in 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup green onion, sliced

1 cup (1 large bunch) cilantro, washed, dried, and chopped coarsely with chef’s knife or food processor

1 avocado, diced (optional, but good)

Dressing Ingredients:

2 T fresh lime juice (plus 2 tsp. more for avocado, if using)

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp. ground Chipotle chile powder (I used Penzeys, you could substitute hot sauce if you don’t have ground Chipotle)

1/2 tsp. chile powder (mild)

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. onion powder

zest from one lime

salt, fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

Drain beans into colander and rinse until no foam remains. Let drain well. Mix together the lime juice, olive oil, ground Chipotle powder (or hot sauce), chile powder, ground cumin, onion powder, and lime zest to make the dressing, then put beans and dressing into a plastic container with a snap-on lid and shake a few times to combine. (Use a bowl that’s big enough to hold all the salad ingredients.) Let beans marinate in dressing one hour or longer.

If using avocado, peel and dice the avocado and toss it with 2 teaspoons of lime juice. Dice tomatoes, place in colander with a small amount of salt and let tomatoes drain 10 minutes while you dice onions and chop cilantro. (You can skip that step if using cherry tomatoes or if your tomatoes aren’t that juicy.)  Thinly slice the green onions and wash, dry, and chop the cilantro.

Combine marinated beans with dressing, tomatoes, green onion, and cilantro and stir gently until well combined, then gently stir in the avocado (if using.) Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.