Click here to Pin this Mediterranean Farro Salad with Arugula and Chickpeas recipe!

If I’m going to eat a salad a day successfully each week, I tend to pick my “salad of the week” and just go with it to keep things on the easy side. This particular Mediterranean Farro Salad with Arugula and Chickpeas was my salad of the week a couple of weeks ago and I’m ready for it to make a comeback this week. It’s so good.

I am in love with farro and it’s versatility. You can add it to soups like this Slow Cooker Chicken and Farro Chili or make an incredible grain salad like this Harvest Farro Salad. Either way it’s always a great addition because it’s such a hearty grain, filled with protein and fiber. It makes you feel good when you eat it.

My advice is to cook up a batch (it takes a bit of time, similar to brown rice) and store it in the fridge ready to go for salads like this one, or if you’re into meal prep, prep your salads (minus the oil and vinegar) in containers and they will be ready to go when you are (I love these containers for salads to help me with meal prep).

Arugula is in season right now, and if it’s warm enough where you are living right now, so are fresh herbs. My littlest son and I recently got our our container herb garden back in business and I am loving being able to step outside and snip a few leaves to add to whatever I’m cooking. One herb I absolutely adore but I don’t think  gets a lot of love is fresh oregano. Add it to anything Greek, or anything that includes roasted peppers and you will be blown away by the flavor. I added some fresh oregano leaves to the top of my Mediterranean Farro Salad and in seconds this salad was elevated with fresh flavor. Fresh herbs tend to do that.

So much fun with this kid. <3

There is a lot more seasonal inspiration where this came from. Look below the recipe to see what’s in season for May and what my #EatSeasonal friends cooked up for this month.

Mediterranean Farro Salad with Arugula and Chickpeas

Yield: 1 salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups baby arugula
• 1/2 cup cooked farro
• 1 oz crumbled feta (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/3 cup garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• 2 sweet cherry peppers
• a few splashes of balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• fresh herbs, for garnish (I used fresh oregano leaves from my container garden)

 

Directions:

1. Arrange ingredients into a large bowl or plate and drizzle with balsamic and olive oil. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper to taste.

Nutritional Information (calculated from My Fitness Pal):  460 calories / 18g fat / 11g fiber / 16g protein

Love whole grain salads like I do? Check out these 12 Healthy Whole Grain Salad Recipes including farro, quinoa, wheat berries and brown rice!

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Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower and Tempeh Power Salad {vegan} by Healthy Seasonal Recipes

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Spiralized Zucchini, Quinoa and Turkey Sausage Stuffed Peppers by Foodie Crush

Chocolate Rhubarb Pavlova by Suitcase Foodist

Radish and Asparagus Breakfast Bowls by Food for My Family

Hummus and Salad Flatbread Pizza by Completely Delicious

Beer-Marinated Grilled Chicken Skewers with Spring Quinoa Salad by Floating Kitchen

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One thing I am really trying to do lately is to have a container of “something” for me to grab for a quick lunch. Last week I was really craving a grain salad so I grabbed some wheat berries out of the pantry and cooked them up, with no real idea of what I was going to do with them. I was craving a salad like this one, but I didn’t really have the right fruit and such. So instead I turned these wheat berries into an Italian Wheat Berry Salad by adding roasted red peppers, garbanzo beans, fresh basil, olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Super simple, fresh and delicious!

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We are well into our fourth week of school here in Florida. I know a lot of northern schools start right around now so the back-to-school season seems to be spread out a bit over a month. I’m happy to finally be back into the groove of school and settling into a routine.

Packing lunches are of course a huge part of that routine!

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I am so excited to share a new cookbook I recently received to review with you today. America’s Test Kitchen has been working hard at revamping and rebuilding one of its classic landmark family cookbooks – The America’s Test Kitchen New Family Cookbook.  It includes more than 1,100 recipes and features new color photographs for several of those new recipes. This book is a beast, I’ve been going through page after page of tips and recipes from every category you can imagine. What I love the most is that along most recipes there is a paragraph explaining why the recipes works, along with variations, tips, even some step by step photos. The recipes are creative, yet very do-able, so this book is perfect for a seasoned cook but would be a wonderful first cookbook for anyone just starting to cook.

I am a huge fan of any cookbook that America’s Test Kitchen puts out. You may remember my review and recipe from their Six-Ingredient Solution last year. I also featured and included their Healthy Family Cookbook in my healthy cookbook giveaway a couple of years ago.

These chickpea patties caught my eye as soon as I saw them in the book. I actually had all of the ingredients on hand in my fridge and pantry so it was one of those recipes I just had to make immediately. Such a great vegetarian recipe! The recipe includes the spice garam masala which is one that I am always trying to find recipes using. They also used Greek yogurt in the actual patty filling which made it extra moist and rich – genius!

My little recipe tester and I enjoyed these Chickpea Cakes with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce for lunch for a couple of days. They reheated well and the cucumber-yogurt sauce is so versatile and would be a great sauce to serve with any Greek style chicken or fish recipes too.

(more…)

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This Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Chickpeas and Spinach dish has appeared in my kitchen many a Saturday night.

Why Saturday night?

Well, because on Saturday nights, unless I’m eating out or getting together with friends I’m usually feeling pretty lazy and don’t feel like making a huge fuss over dinner.

But because it’s Saturday night, I don’t want just a bowl of cereal or a sandwich either.

You can pretty much find everything in this pasta dish in my pantry or fridge any day of the week. That’s what’s so great about it. I’ve made it plenty of times without the fresh spinach, but I really prefer to have that punch of green on my plate (& its health benefits too). The freshly grated Parmesan and red pepper flakes make it extra delicious. In no time you’ll be curled up on your couch with your big bowl of pasta and remote feeling total comfort. You can worry about the dishes in the morning.

Ingredients you need for Spaghetti with Chickpeas and Spinach:

• boxed spaghetti
• olive oil
• garlic
• onion
• can of chickpeas
• fresh spinach
• red pepper flakes
• Parmesan cheese

A perfect, no fuss vegetarian pasta dish that you can feel good about.

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Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Sauteed Chickpeas and Spinach

• Author: Aggie Goodman

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Ingredients

• 1/2 13 oz box whole wheat spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 onion, sliced thin
• 1 can garbanzo/chickpeas beans (I prefer Bush’s Beans Garbanzos), rinsed and drained
• 2–3 bunches of fresh spinach
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• additional olive oil, to taste
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

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Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large saute pan. Add garlic and onions to pan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until slightly soft, season with salt and pepper. Add chickpeas to onions and saute for another 5 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving about 1/4 cup of pasta water. Add fresh spinach to pan, add cooked pasta and pasta water over spinach and gently toss. Turn off heat.
3. Before serving add an additional drizzle of olive oil over pasta. Season to taste with salt and red pepper flakes. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

More vegetarian pasta recipes:

Mexican Pasta Toss

Ziti and Zucchini with Lime and Herbs

Angel Hair with Zucchini and Tomatoes | Skinnytaste

Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Spinach and Roasted Mushrooms | Two Peas and Their Pod

Spicy Roasted Ratatouille with Spaghetti | Cookie + Kate

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You seriously must try these.

Over the weekend I was introduced to these Cajun Fried Chickpeas.  I was at a birthday party where a mom friend mentioned her addiction to “fried chickpeas”…hmmm…sounded good to me.  When she told me how she made them I was instantly intrigued.  Why haven’t I thought to do this myself?

It’s so simple people…and these babies make the best snack, appetizer or even better, topping for a salad (which I experienced for lunch today – holy yum!).  I seasoned them up with a cajun seasoning I had on hand, but I’m thinking the sky is the limit as far as these go.  I may have to play around with some ideas…

To prepare the chickpeas you lightly dust them in seasoned flour then saute them in a little bit of olive oil in a hot pan till they get nice and crispy.  That’s it.  Oh and sprinkle a little sea salt over them when they are done.  Seriously addicting.

Thank you so much for sharing Juliet!

Pan Fried Cajun Chickpeas

Yield: about 4 snack servings

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas (I like to use Bush's Garbanzo Beans)
• 2-3 tsp flour
• 2-3 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 2-3 TB olive oil
• sea salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Rinse and dry chickpeas on paper towel. Be sure to dry completely.
2. Heat oil in a non stick skillet over medium high heat. Combine flour and seasoning in a small bowl or plate. Roll chickpeas in seasoned flour until lightly dusted. Carefully add chickpeas to skillet, in batches, cooking for a few minutes before gently tossing them around in pan.
3. Cook chickpeas until they look crisp and lightly browned. Remove from pan and serve warm.

I love adding chickpeas to my dishes – here are more recipes using chickpeas:

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Sauteed Chickpeas and Spinach

Chickpea Cakes with Cucumber – Yogurt Sauce

Chickpea Tikka Masala | Foodie With Family

General Tso’s Chickpeas | Well Plated

Kale Salad with Butternut Squash, Chickpeas and Tahini Dressing | Foodiecrush

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Hey there, Aggie’s Kitchen readers! It’s Molly here, your royal highness from Duchess of Fork. I’m just a busy gal juggling a new husband, new house, new puppy and new career. I enjoy creating quick, yet healthy and delicious recipes that fit into anyone’s lifestyle. Feel free to come over and visit me any time you’d like!

I’m honored to be Aggie’s guest today, and am thrilled to share a fresh take on salsa with you. With Spring just a few weeks away, this chickpea and feta salsa will be a great addition to your outdoor picnics and parties. It’s already in the 60s here in Florida, so I’ve been enjoying this salsa a lot lately! 🙂

Chickpea and Feta Salad

Yield: Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz) can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1 green onion, sliced thin
• 1 cup diced cucumber
• ½ cup diced bell pepper
• ½ cup crumbled feta
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• ½ tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic salt

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine chickpeas, onions, cucumbers, bell peppers and feta.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, oregano, pepper and salt. Pour over chickpea mixture and toss to combine.
3. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Follow AggiesKitchen on Instagram and show us what recipes you are making from the blog! Use the hashtag #aggieskitchen - I'd love to see what you are cooking up!

This salsa comes together in a flash and will keep in the fridge for about a week. It’s great with whole wheat pita chips, as a salad, or alongside grilled chicken. If you’ve never tried chickpeas before, this is the perfect recipe for you.

Thanks for letting me stop by! Remember, we may not all be royalty, but we can certainly reign supreme in the kitchen.

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