Heaven on a plate!

While I haven’t always loved arugula, I’m a fan now! It’s quickly becoming my go-to green!

First off, it’s eats well. Do you know what I mean?

You can stick your fork into an arugula salad and more often than not, you’ll have yourself a pretty perfect bite! You can’t say that about every salad.

For this scrumptious salad there are a multiple shining stars.

Certainly the seasonal fresh figs bring a beautiful sweetness and are gorgeous on the plate. And Walnuts add great texture and a nice buttery flavor.

But the chickpeas and gorgonzola are fighting for top honors.

I believe I have under utilized garbanzo beans. Obviously they’re the star of our Classic Hummus, but they absolutely transform this salad from a “foo-foo pretty on the plate” to a satisfying meal.

Okay maybe light lunch, but nonetheless, chickpeas are where it’s at.

Lastly the gorgonzola. We haven’t discussed the white balsamic vinaigrette yet, but the two are dreamy together.

I do believe my cooking reached a new level when I discovered the power of a good vinaigrette. Whether it’s a nice fresh herby variety or one with a subtle and smooth finish, vinaigrettes are our friend! If you’re looking for inspiration here’s the link to our Dressing & Marinade Recipes.

From an ingredient standpoint, white balsamic vinaigrette is about as basic as you can get. Olive oil, white balsamic, honey or maple syrup, salt & pepper. From a flavor perspective there are loads of ways to mix it up. Hop over to my White Balsamic Vinaigrette recipe to see how I change it up!

One of our local restaurants serves a similar salad but with pears. I may have to recreate that Autumn-Thyme salad this fall.

Just the right tang from blue cheese and white balsamic, mellowed slightly by the creamy chickpeas. I LOVE this salad. You’ve got to try it!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Fig & Walnut Arugula Salad with Chickpeas & Gorgonzola

The ingredients in this Fig & Walnut Arugula Salad with Chickpeas & Gorgonzola play so nicely together. Heaven on a plate!

Course Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Salad

• 5 ounces arugula
• 6 fresh figs, stems removed quartered
• 1 cup shelled walnuts
• 1 cup gorgonzola cheese crumbled
• 1 cup canned chickpeas rinsed and drained

For the White Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinaigrette or more to taste
• 2 Tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

For Salad

• Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl.

For White Balsamic Vinaigrette

• Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake well. Dress the salad lightly, then toss. Add more vinaigrette to taste. Store unused vinaigrette in refrigerator for up to a month.

The post Fig & Walnut Arugula Salad with Chickpeas & Gorgonzola appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Or in our case you can make it two days in a row because it’s that good!!

We’re definitely on a salad kick right now and I’m loving it.

And my body is pretty stoked too!

The keys to a great chopped salad are 1) fresh ingredients, 2) a variety of colors and textures, and 3) a dressing that compliments but doesn’t overpower.

Make it your own with your favorite Mediterranean ingredients – you could easily add or sub Kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, capers….

The perfect dressing for this Mediterranean Chopped Salad is our Lemon Herb Vinaigrette.

I chose fresh oregano and parsley as our herbs and added a teaspoon of dried oregano as well. The fresh lemon juice and red wine vinegar add a gentle one-two punch.

Our Mediterranean Chopped Salad was a hit at my sister’s birthday celebration dinner.

We paired it with gorgeous grilled ribeye steaks and au gratin potatoes. We brought the Steakhouse dinner in-house and it couldn’t have been better.

I mentioned making this salad two days in a row.

Truth.

We devoured it the first night, so I made Mediterranean Chopped Salad again and served it with grilled chicken and shrimp for a light dinner. So delicious!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Mediterranean Chopped Salad

Whether you enjoy this salad as a side to a bigger meal or top it with chicken or shrimp and call it dinner, the flavors will keep them coming back for more!

Course Salad

Cuisine Meiterranean

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

For the Mediterranean Chopped Salad

• 4 cups iceburg lettuce chopped
• 2 hearts of romaine chopped
• 1 cup castelvetrano or kalamata olives sliced
• 1 16 ounce can chickpeas rinsed and drained
• 1 small red onion fine diced
• 2 persian cucumbers diced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
• 8 ounces feta cheese diced or crumbled
• 1 cup roasted beets diced

For the Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

• 8 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 cup fresh oregano and parsley leaves stems discarded
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic

Instructions

For the Mediterranean Chopped Salad

• Place chopped lettuce in the base of a large salad bowl. Top with remaining ingredients. Drizzle with Lemon Herb Dressing and toss.

For the Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

• Combine all ingredients in a glass jar with lid and shake vigorously. Store in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

The post Chopped Mediterranean Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

They are bright and green and filled with fresh herbs.

A crispy exterior with a tender moist center makes them irresistible and comfortable and oh so delicious.

These chickpea and herb fritters are a staple dish in many parts of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East.

I found this interesting article from History Today on the origin of Falafel.

Clearly there is much debate on which country first took claim to this dish, and it’s no wonder.

It all begins with dried chickpeas aka garbanzo beans, which need to soak overnight or for at least 8 hours. The beans are only soaked, not cooked, therefore you can’t substitute canned chickpeas. I repeat, please don’t attempt this recipe with canned chickpeas.

We are fortunate to have a sweet lunch-date spot mere minutes from our house. Jerusalem Chef is a family owned restaurant that makes authentic dishes like Jerusalem Salad, Shawarma, Kofta Kababs, Hummus, Baba Ghanoush and the most beautiful emerald green Falafel. Which are the inspiration for this post.

If you love falafel like me, you’ve likely had the really good falafel and then the kind-of-dry, not-so-tender, under seasoned variety. Clearly I aspire to share a really good falafel recipe with you, similar to the ones served at Jerusalem Chef.

So I googled “bright green falafel recipe”, clicked on Images, and found this gorgeous recipe from one of my favorite sites The View from Great Island. It’s straight forward, herb loaded, flavor packed and the finished result turned out just like the picture. Winning!

Basically your food processor does 50% of the work and you’re responsible for the rolling and frying. And 100% of the eating, although you’ll want to share the love with this one ~ your friends and family will thank you. All of the ingredients go into the food processor and you pulse until you have the consistency of coarse wet sand. You want the mixture to hold together when you squeeze it with your hand. I used a small ice cream/cookie dough scoop then gently formed them into balls with my hands. I wanted to serve the Falafel warm for dinner so I refrigerated them for a few hours before frying. You can easily make the mixture ahead and refrigerate for up to two days.

We incorporated the Falafel with Lemon Tahini Sauce as part of a gorgeous Middle Eastern Mezze Platter. We grazed our way around the board, such a fun and satisfying way to enjoy the flavors of this region.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Falafel {with Lemon Tahini Sauce}

These chickpea and herb fritters are a staple dish in many parts of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. They are packed with fresh herbs and their texture is superb.

Course Entree or Appetizer

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Overnight Soak 8 hours hours

Servings 6

Author Sue with The View from Great Island

Ingredients

For the Falafel

• 3 cups soaked chickpeas not cooked
• 1/2 medium red onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 small jalapeno
• 1 packed cup fresh parsley leaves stems discarded
• 1 packed cup fresh cilantro leaves stems discarded
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon coriander
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 Tablespoons chickpea flour (or all-purpose)

For the Lemon Tahini Sauce

• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• water to thin to desired consistency
• salt to taste
• ground cumin to taste

Instructions

For the Falafel

• Soak the dried chickpeas overnight or for at least 8 hours. DO NOT COOK THEM.
• Measure out 3 cups of soaked chickpeas and place in food processor with remaining Falafel ingredients. Run processor until you have a wet corse sand like consistency, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times during the process. The mixture should hold together when squeezed in your hand.
• Use a ice cream scoop or spoon to portion out the falafel mixture. Use your hands to gently shape into balls. Refrigerate until ready to fry, up to two days.
• Preheat vegetable oil to 350° F. Gently fry falafel in small batches and drain on paper towels. Serve warm with Tahini Sauce.

For the Lemon Tahini Sauce

• Whisk together the tahini and lemon juice, adding water to thin it to desired consistency. Season with salt and cumin to taste.

The post Falafel {with Lemon Tahini Sauce} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

The holidays have a way of throwing us me off course.  No matter how hard I try, temptation is waiting at every turn.  This year is going to be different.  Yes, I will cave to some temptations, or better said…enjoy my favorite dishes in moderation.  Yet, what I won’t do is completely abandon my Healthy Choices plan only to start over on January 1st.  Nope, not gonna do it.

This Chickpea & Spinach Stew, adapted from Weight Watchers, is going to keep me on track. 

This recipe is so easy I prepared (and pictured) it during my lunch break, in the kitchen at my office.  We’re talking easy, tasty and filling.  Cumin, ginger, lemon juice and fresh cilantro give this stew it’s bright flavor.  Chickpeas, diced tomatoes and fresh spinach give it the protein and nutrients to sustain you throughout the afternoon.

We’ve just celebrated the one year anniversary of our remodeled office kitchen and break room.  We now have a second refrigerator and a wonderful stove with double ovens which will most certainly get a work-out during the holidays!!  That is precisely why I’m focusing on Healthy Choices during my favorite food holidays.

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Chickpea & Spinach Stew

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author adapted from Weight Watchers

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 15- ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 16- ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 5 ounces fresh spinach
• 1 Tbl. water
• 1 Tbl. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in large non-stick skillet. Sauté onion until tender. Add salt, garlic, cumin and ginger and cook another minute.
• Add diced tomatoes and chickpeas and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Use a potato masher to gently break some of the chickpeas. Reduce heat to low, add fresh spinach and cover allowing spinach to wilt for 2-3 minutes.
• To serve, sprinkle with lemon juice & fresh cilantro.

Notes

4 WW Pts+ per serving

The post Chickpea & Spinach Stew appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Healthy Living is something we should all aspire to.  I’m not crazy about the word diet, unless a doctor puts you on one.  For me, and many I talk with daily, we just need to bite the bullet and eat right and exercise…aka a little Healthy Living.  I’m about to enter airport world, lethal for Healthy Living (just behind Amusement Parks and County Fairs).  Seriously, someone please start an airport restaurant franchise featuring healthy living options, that are quick and portable.  I’m taking these Garlic Parmesan Roasted Chickpeas with me…baby steps.

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Garlic Parmesan Roasted Chickpeas {Healthy Living}

Course Snack

Author Brenda Bennett as seen in Clean Eating magazine

Ingredients

• 2 – 15 oz. cans Chickpeas aka Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

• Spread chickpeas on several layers of paper towels and let dry for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, combine oil, garlic, salt, and pepper and cheese and stir until crumbly and oil is absorbed. Add chickpeas and toss to coat.
• Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 45 – 50 minutes until golden and crispy.

The post Garlic Parmesan Roasted Chickpeas {Healthy Living} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.