Mediterranean-Style Stewed Chickpea Salad

I can't seem to get enough salad variations in spring + summer. This Mediterranean-inspired twist adds tons of extra flavor and nutrition to basic chickpeas, paired with a creamy avocado-yogurt-tahini dressing with lots of lemon, crunchy radishes and fresh cilantro. Getting hungry yet? This would make a great salad served family-style on a large platter with the dressing in a bowl on the side as a starter for falafel, lamb or even a chicken kabob. These flavors just holler summer and would make a nice dinner eaten outside on the patio. My family loves doing this. It adds a little special something and almost feels like we're eating out!

INGREDIENTS
1 - 2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas
2 ripe avocados
1|2 cup plain greek yogurt
1|4 cup raw sesame tahini
1 lemon, juiced and zested
5 - 6 radishes, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
cherry tomatoes cut in half
peeled, diced cucumber
red onion, thinly sliced or shaved (optional)
your favorite salad greens
cilantro, green onions, mint, parsley about 1 T each
cumin, turmeric, paprika about 1|8 tsp each
crushed red pepper or cayenne for heat, if desired
olive oil or ghee
sea salt + black pepper to taste
sprouted flatbread or pita

METHOD
Warm the olive oil and a teaspoon of ghee if you have it in a medium sauté pan on medium. Add the shallot and the garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly because they burn easily. Add the powdered spices and stir for another minute until they become fragrant and bloom. Stir in the chickpeas and a about 1|4 cup of water or stock to make a little pan sauce. Add the parsley, a bit of lemon zest and cover and turn off the heat. Make the dressing as this cools down a bit. Combine the avocado, yogurt, tahini and juice of 1 lemon, a pinch of salt and half of the mint and cilantro. Whisk it with a fork or blend it in a blender for a super creamy consistency. Assemble your salad by starting with a bed of greens, then tomato halves, cucumber and shaved red onion if desired. Spoon the chickpeas on next and wedge the radishes into that on their sides so that the red rim is showing. This makes a nice presentation. Top with your green dressing and garnish with the green onions and the remaining herbs. Toast your pita or flatbread and cut into wedges for scooping and dipping.

ENJOY!

Red Dirt Woman | Spring, 2015

I'm so thrilled to be able to offer Red Dirt Woman's spring retreat again at Blue Doors! How fortunate we are that they love Red Dirt Woman as much as we do. This season, the theme of our retreat will be linear with spring rituals and activities as we focus on body-positive activities, rituals and content that are designed to reinforce healthy self image while staying mindful of our health + wellness.

It is so easy to sink into a loop of thought about the way we look or, more oftentimes, the way we think we look, and project those negative feelings onto our relationships and into our environment at home and at work. Everyone experiences physiological changes after childbirth, after the end of a relationship, moving, losing a loved one, surviving a trauma, or simply completing a cycle that has in place for a long time. It is natural to absorb self doubt and criticism as we move forward into unfamiliar territory, but the lasting effects of those emotions, unchecked, can lead to physical and emotional imbalance.

By restructuring our habitual behaviors and consciously changing or re-writing them, we step back into that imprint of powerful positivity, and the effects can be immense! Women are naturally a bit critical about how they look and what they accomplish in a day. We tend to be hard on ourselves when we compare our measure of success to other women. The healing we can experience with counteracting those things in the company of other women, gives us the support, encouragement and safety to explore that shift.

To learn everything you need to know about the retreat including our schedule, our brand new tribe of lady staff, a virtual tour of the resort and sign up, head to the official retreat website here! We are excited and looking forward to seeing YOU!