Description
Inspired by a Purple Carrot meal, these Crispy Kale and Chickpea Bowls are a bit like a gyro in a bowl, with spicy, crispy chickpeas and a touch of sweetness from the dried tart cherries. Spicy, sour, sweet, tart, crunchy, it’s punchy and fresh yet familiar.
Ingredients
Scale
Crispy Chickpeas
- 2 cans (15 oz.) chickpeas
- 2 tbsp. olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne
Rice
- 1 c. 15-minute rice (see notes)
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Toppings
- 4 c. chopped kale, destemmed, about 4 stalks (see notes)
- 1/2 c. sliced cucumber
- 1/2 c. sliced radishes
- 1/2 c. dried tart cherries, roughly chopped
- crumbled feta
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1/2 c. plain whole milk yogurt
- 1 tsp. dried dill (2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill)
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
- a couple cracks pepper
Instructions
- Make the chickpeas. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Meanwhile, drain and rinse the chickpeas. Pat dry and place on the baking sheet. Toss with the oil, salt, and spices to evenly coat. Once preheated, roast for 12 minutes before adding in the kale.
- Meanwhile, make the 15-minute rice. In a small saucepan, make rice according to package instructions, adding salt and butter. (Note: if your rice takes longer than 15 minutes to cook, begin the recipe by starting with the rice.)
- Prep the toppings. While the chickpeas roast and the rice cooks, prepare the kale, cucumbers, radishes, and tart cherries, beginning with the kale that will roast shortly. (To quickly slice veggies, I like to use the OXO Grate and Slice.)
- Once the chickpeas have roasted for 12 minutes, add the kale plus a tiny extra glug of oil and sprinkle of salt. Toss to coat and roast for an additional 10 minutes or until the kale is crispy.
- Make the tzatziki sauce. In a small bowl, stir together all tzatziki ingredients. This can be made up to 8 hours in advance.
- To serve, add rice, chickpeas, and kale to the base of a bowl. Top with cucumbers and radishes, a sprinkle of feta and tart cherries, and a generous dollop of tzatziki.
Notes
I like to keep a trusty 15-minute rice stocked in the pantry for all rice recipes to keep prep time to a minimum. Test a couple out and see which one you like best. Stock that.
Kale takes a bit of time to prep. Lately, I’ve been buying a big bundle at the start of the week, prepping it, and eating on it throughout the week, which cuts down on prep time for this recipe greatly. Here’s my method for prepping kale to last all week.
- Prep Time: 15 min.
- Cook Time: 20 min.
