This colourful Veggie and Chickpea salad is and will probably always be my go-to salad recipe. Fresh, zingy and filling all at once, my rainbow bean and veggie salad is quite versatile and provides a healthy dose of vegetables. Serve it with any protein or wrap it up in some tortilla wraps for a lovely weeknight dinner; It’s quite lovely served over some stir-fried noodles or just own its own. In fact, I find it quite refreshing as an afternoon snack; its packed full of healthy ingredients while delivering wonderfully in terms on taste.

Ingredients (serves 2-4 people):

250 grams of drained tinned chickpeas , butter beans or Cannellini beans; you could prepare from scratch or use leftovers

100 grams of corn, I love frozen; you could prepare from scratch or use left overs

100 grams of kale, chopped into bite-sized pieces; use could choose any other greens of you choice

150 grams of red cabbage, thinly sliced

100 grams of carrots, shredded

100 grams of tomatoes, any variety, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1/3 -1/2 a red pepper, thinly sliced

A handful of any nuts and seeds if you prefer

For the dressing

1 medium onion, chopped finely

1-2 clove of garlic, minced or grated

Minced fresh chillies to taste; you could use hot or mild variety, dried chilli flakes, pepper or a splash of hot sauce

Salt to taste; I use about 1/4 – 1/2 tsp

2-3 tbsp of olive oil

Juice of 1 lime/ lemon

1 tbsp of sugar

2 tbsp -1/2 cup of minced fresh herbs of your choice; I love a mix of coriander, chives/spring onions and parsley

Methods:

Place the beans and corn in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1.5-2 minutes.

Add the kale to the bowl of beans and corn and microwave for another 1.5 -2 minutes or until cooked and yet crisp; I prefer my kale cooked but if you are using tender leaves such as spinach, rocket etc, leave them raw and mix them in just before serving.

Stir everything to cool and add the ingredients except the ones listed for dressing and mix well.

In another bowl, add the minced onion, chillis, garlic and salt, mix well and let it sit for a couple of minutes.

Now add in the lime/ lemon juice and sugar and mix until the sugar has dissolved.

Add olive oil and herbs and mix to combined well.

Pour over salad, add the nuts and seeds and toss until well combined.

Enjoy on its own, in a sandwich or a wrap, over stir-fried noodles or with any protein of your choice for a satisfying meal.