It has been a very long time since I’ve sat down and posted to my blog. This has been a super busy year, and somehow in my brain I knew that autumn would come, and with it much needed “time”. It’s not that I haven’t been cooking, boy I have I been cooking! Add in kitchen & bathroom renovations, a new puppy, and one of our wettest fall-winter-springs on record, followed by a full on drought with smokey skies, my energies have been elsewhere… I am so happy to have these breezy, cooler, clear days that late September has brought us.

When I’m doing an event with salads as part of the buffet, I love adding robust “chop” salads. They add texture, and colour to the mix. Because a spoonful goes along way, they fit onto a plate with other foods very easily.

This salad has a little heat, and lots of texture, which is so nice with a burger or chicken dinner. It also serves well as a vegetarian main course salad for those who aren’t going for the meat from the grill.

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 t oil

1/3 c pumpkin seeds

¼ t smoked paprika

¼ t salt

—

2t oil

1 c tinned chickpeas, rinsed & drained

½ t salt

¼ t smoked paprika

¼ t chipotle powder

—

¼ c chopped sundried tomatoes (packed in oil)

3 green onions

4” length of English cucumber

1 red pepper

1 ear of corn

—

Dressing:

3T canola oil

1½ T lime juice

1 t honey

½ t cumin

¼ t chipotle

¼ t salt

—

1 head romaine lettuce, washed and torn/chopped

Optional: 200 grams Queso Fresco cheese

Directions

Drizzle 1 t + of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat

Add in the pumpkin seeds, stir occasionally until puffed slightly and they’re started to pop a bit, and are just starting to brown ~ about 2 minutes

Sprinkle the smoked paprika and salt over, and stir gently.

Remove to a plate. Reserve.

Add 2 teaspoons of oil to the same pan, over med-high heat.

Add in the chickpeas, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes, until they are popping a bit, and have become golden brown.

Remove from heat

Add in ½ t salt, ¼ t smoked paprika, and ¼ t chipotle powder.

Stir to coat.

Reserve.

Over a hot grill, char the pepper and grill the corn. The pepper will take longer than the corn, and you want it to have lots of blackened areas. The corn will be grilled on all sides, and it’s okay if there’s a bit of black on the cob.

Remove the pepper & corn from the grill when ready.

Cut the corn kernels from the cob.

Cover the pepper with a bowl on the countertop. Let it steam, and cool for about 20 minutes. Peel off all the skin, and core the pepper, wipe out all the seeds, moisture, and membranes. Cut into ½” pieces.

Trim and thinly slice the green onions

Cut the cucumber into uniform pieces, about ½“ cubes.

Blot the sundried tomatoes dry, and chop.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients.

Mix the chickpeas, corn, grilled pepper, green onions, cucumber, and sundried tomatoes in a bowl.

Toss with all of the dressing.

Arrange the romaine on a platter.

Spoon all of the chop salad onto the lettuce, leaving the lettuce showing all around the edges.

Scatter with Queso Fresco if using (not shown)

To finish, scatter the smokey pumpkin seeds over the top.

Click here for printable version.