Live to 100 Chick Pea Salad

In the book The Blue Zones by Dan Beuttner, Blue Zones are the longest living cultures in the world, one common dietary staple in all the areas is beans, all different kinds of beans. I love to use any kind of bean in my recipes, from soups, chillies, pastas and especially salads. Chickpeas( garbanzo beans) are one of my favorite to use in my recipes like this Live to 100 Chickpea Salad.  I've added some crunch and sweetness to this salad with pecans and dried cranberries. Nuts also play an important role in Blue Zone cultures!
You can like I do use this salad as a base for a more hearty dinner salad combining a protein such as tuna, chicken, tofu just to name a few. If you want to keep the salad vegan you can add more crunchy veggies such as red peppers, carrots, fennel and so many more different colors and textures. Experimenting you can find so many different uses for this basic salad while adding years on your life!

Live to 100 Chickpea Salad

Ingredients:
3(15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 bunch green onions, sliced, just white bulbs
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped kale
micro greens

Put chickpeas in mixing bowl. In a small bowl combine lemon juice, olive oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper and garlic.
Add onions, pecans and cranberries, and kale to chickpeas.  Toss lemon juice mixture with chickpeas mixture.  Chill for four hours or more to allow flavors to combine. Top with micro greens before serving.
Enjoy!
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