Arugula Rainbow Salad with Roasted Chickpeas and Homemade Peanut Butter Sesame Dressing
Delicious salad with peppery arugula, crunchy red cabbage, and crispy chickpeas tossed with Asian-style peanut sesame dressing. This healthy, 100% plant-based meal has quickly become our go-to lunch salad.
Ever heard of rainbow salads? Not only are they super beautiful, but they are also easy to make, bursting with good-for-you nutrients, and super flavorful.
Why you should Eat the Colors of a Rainbow too
By choosing foods from every color of the rainbow you maximize the number of different micronutrients you’re consuming. If you are like most people, you find a few particular dishes you like and you keep eating the same foods over and over again, depriving your body of many of the vitamins and minerals it needs to function properly and ward off disease.
Many don’t realize how important it is to diversify what we’re eating. Did you know that different colors on your plate will add different essential vitamins and minerals to your diet? Color is also related to antioxidant capacity. Antioxidants are very important little compounds that fight free radicals to help prevent disease.
You might have heard the phrase “we are what we eat” before. To properly function, our body needs to get all the essential nutrients to build and repair muscle and tissues, make hormones, boost our brain function, and so much more. Food is the biggest source of these vital building blocks.
Furthermore, the visual perception of the food we consume also plays a key role in the selection of nutritious and healthy foods. The color of the food can be used as an indicator of food quality. Brightly colored foods are still full of life and nutrients.
Next to adding a wide host of essential vitamins and minerals to our diet, diversity in colors is also important for our gut microbiome. The more diverse the bacteria in our gut are the better our digestion will be. A healthy gut means our body can do more with the food we are consuming, leading to better overall health and happiness.
Servings
2 people
Ready In:
25 min
Calories:
381 (per serving)
Good For:
Lunch
Introduction
About this Recipe
By: Amy Goodrich
Packed with healthy fats, protein, fibers, vitamins, and minerals, this salad is the perfect pick-me-up after a busy morning at work. It will provide you with the essential nutrients and energy you need to avoid an afternoon slump.
Though nothing beats the crispy sensation of freshly roasted chickpeas, this salad still tastes amazing the day after! So you can easily make this the day before to take with you to work.
Ready for your daily feel-good nutrients? I certainly am. It is almost lunchtime on our side of the world!
Ingredients
For the roasted chickpeas
- 1.5 cup cooked chickpeas, drained (½ cup dried = 1.5 cups cooked = 1 15 oz can drained)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Himalayan pink salt and black pepper to taste
For the salad
- 3 cups arugula or rocket lettuce
- 1 cup tomato, chopped
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
For the peanut sesame dressing
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1.5 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 lime, juice only (1 tbsp)
- 1 Tbsp water
- ¼ cup spring onion, roughly chopped
- Himalayan pink salt and black pepper to taste
Meet the powerhouse rock stars of this dish
Nutrition
Rocket lettuce – aka arugula – is one of my family’s favorite leafy greens. I just love its peppery flavor in salads, on pizzas, or even in my smoothies.
Just like its other family members (broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts), arugula is packed with so many good-for-you nutrients and low in calories. With only 4 calories per 1-cup serving, fresh arugula has virtually no impact on your daily calorie intake.
However, arugula provides our body with good amounts of vitamins A, K and C, folate, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, and several beneficial phytochemicals.
- Dietary fiber 43%
- Carbs 18%
- Fat 22%
- Protein 26.2%
- Calories 19.05%
NOTE:
The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) for protein is 0.36 grams of protein per pound (0.8 grams per kg) of body weight.
This amounts to:
56 grams per day for the average sedentary man
46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Combine all peanut dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth texture. Set aside.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 200C (or 400F).
Add the chickpeas and the herbs to a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little cooking oil of your choice. Toss to coat and roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp and browned. Toss halfway through.
Combine all salad ingredients in a salad bowl. Toss to combine. Divide over plates or bowls, and top with roasted chickpeas and peanut butter dressing.
Easy, Printable Recipe Card
Arugula Rainbow Salad with Roasted Chickpeas and Homemade Peanut Butter Sesame Dressing
Colorful lunch salad packed with good-for-you nutrients to energize and nourish your body. Perfect make-ahead lunch and easy to take with you to work.
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1.5 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1/4 cup spring onions, roughly chopped
- Himalayan pink salt and black pepper to taste
For the roasted chickpeas
- 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Himalayan pink salt and black pepper to taste
For the salad
- 3 cups arugula or rocket lettuce, packed
- 1 cup tomato, chopped
- 2 cups red/purple cabbage, shredded
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200C (or 400F).
Add the chickpeas and the herbs to a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little cooking oil. Toss to coat and roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp and browned. Toss halfway through.
Meanwhile, combine all peanut dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth texture. Set aside.
Combine all salad ingredients in a salad bowl. Toss to combine. Divide over plates or bowls, and top with roasted chickpeas and peanut butter dressing.
Notes
½ cup dried chickpeas = 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas = 1 15 oz can drained chickpeas.
