Description
Festive holiday romaine lettuce salad brings Mediterranean charm to seasonal tables. Crisp greens, tangy dressing, and elegant garnishes create a delightful experience you’ll savor through winter celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2–3 heads romaine lettuce
- 15 oz (425 grams) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup cucumber, diced
- ½ cup tomato, small diced
- ½ cup kalamata olives, sliced
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- ½ cup marinated artichoke hearts, diced
- 2 tsps olive oil
- ½ tsp granulated garlic
- ½ tsp paprika
- 2 tbsps fresh herbs (dill, parsley, mint, cilantro)
- ½ cup croutons, smashed
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- ½ tsp granulated garlic
- ½ tsp dried herbs (Green Goddess seasoning, Herbs de Provence, or dried oregano)
Instructions
- Chickpea Preparation: Pat chickpeas completely dry with paper towels, ensuring zero moisture for achieving maximum crunchiness. Heat skillet to medium-high and roast chickpeas with selected spices, stirring continuously until they transform into golden, crispy morsels with a perfectly heated interior.
- Dressing Creation: Combine tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs in a mixing bowl. Whisk energetically until the mixture develops a smooth, luxurious texture with balanced tangy and herbaceous undertones.
- Vegetable Preparation: Slice romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion into precise, uniform cubes, promoting elegant presentation and consistent flavor integration throughout the salad.
- Salad Assembly: Layer romaine lettuce leaves as the foundational base, creating a structured landscape that resembles a festive holiday design. Strategically distribute roasted chickpeas across the lettuce, generating textural complexity and protein-rich zones.
- Garnishing and Finishing: Artfully arrange diced vegetables over the chickpea-studded surface. Cascade tahini dressing in fluid, sweeping motions, allowing it to embrace each ingredient. Conclude by sprinkling crushed croutons for an additional crisp dimension, elevating the salad’s visual and gustatory appeal.
Notes
- Dry Chickpeas Thoroughly: Pat chickpeas completely dry to achieve maximum crispiness and prevent soggy results during roasting.
- Spice Roasting Technique: Continuously stir chickpeas while roasting to develop even golden color and prevent burning, ensuring uniform crunchiness.
- Dressing Consistency Matters: Whisk tahini dressing vigorously to create smooth, well-integrated flavors that coat ingredients perfectly.
- Strategic Layering Approach: Build salad from bottom to top, using larger lettuce leaves as foundation and progressively adding delicate elements for visual and textural complexity.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 340 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg