3 Reasons why its heart healthy:
- This salad features fresh herbs that naturally enhance its flavour, allowing you to skip the extra salt. Reducing salt intake is important for maintaining healthy blood pressure levels.
- Chickpeas are rich in fibre and plant-based protein, which can help lower cholesterol levels and support heart health.
- This recipe uses extra virgin olive oil for the dressing which is rich in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants, that help reduce inflammation and lower the risk of heart disease by supporting healthy cholesterol levels.
Fresh Spring Salad
This vibrant salad is the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of Spring! Sweet strawberries pair beautifully with the peppery bite of radishes, while hearty chickpeas add a satisfying protein boost, and roasted pistachios bring a delightful crunch. Light and refreshing, this salad is perfect as a side dish or a light main course.
4
servings10
minutes20
minutes30
minutesIngredients
1 bunch of trimmed asparagus
100 g frozen peas, thawed (speed this up by covering them with boiling water & leaving for 5 minutes).
1 bag of mixed salad leaves (about 100g)
4 x radishes, thinly sliced
4 x strawberries, thinly sliced
Handful fresh basil
Handful fresh mint
40 g unsalted pistachios
200 g cooked chickpeas (½ a tin)
- Dressing
Handful fresh basil
1 x garlic clove
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
Directions
- If you are roasting your chickpeas in the oven, preheat your oven to 200°C now (you can do this step in the air fryer if you have one). Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the asparagus for 2 minutes before removing from the pan and running under cold water.
- While the water for the asparagus comes to the boil put all the ingredients for the dressing together in a food processor and blitz until smooth.
- Toast the pistachios in a frying pan over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until golden and set aside.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and roast them in the oven for about 15 minutes or in the air fryer for 5 minutes.
- Put the peas and asparagus in a bowl with half of the dressing and give everything a mix.
- Arrange the salad leaves on the bottom of a large dish or plate, top with the peas and asparagus, scatter the strawberries and radishes and once cooled, sprinkle the chickpeas and pistachios over. Top with the fresh mint and basil leaves and drizzle over the remaining dressing before serving
