Fall Harvest Apple Chickpea Salad (Printable)

Autumn salad blending chickpeas, apples, walnuts, and a sweet-tangy honey-mustard dressing.

# Ingredient List:

→ Salad

01 - 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
02 - 2 medium apples, diced (such as Honeycrisp or Gala)
03 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (60 g)
04 - 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced (30 g)
05 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

→ Dressing

06 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
07 - 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
08 - 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
09 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
10 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
11 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

# How to Make:

01 - In a large bowl, toss together the chickpeas, diced apples, walnuts, red onion, and parsley.
02 - In a small bowl or jar, whisk olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper until smooth and well emulsified.
03 - Pour the dressing over the salad mixture and gently toss to coat all ingredients evenly.
04 - Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 2 hours to enhance flavors.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like fall without requiring an oven or any actual cooking, which means you can make it on the hottest September day and still feel seasonal.
  • The textures keep you interested: creamy beans, snappy apple, toasted crunch, all tied together with a dressing that's just barely sweet.
  • You can eat it straight from the bowl at lunch or serve it at a dinner party, and nobody will know you made it in your pajamas fifteen minutes ago.
02 -
  • If you dress this salad more than two hours before serving, the apples will start weeping and the whole thing turns soggy and sad.
  • Toasting the walnuts is technically optional, but skipping it is like skipping the salt: you'll wonder why it tastes flat.
  • Red onion can be sharp enough to make your eyes water even after it's diced; soaking the pieces in cold water for five minutes takes the edge off without losing the crunch.
03 -
  • Always taste your apples before you dice them; if they're mealy or flavorless, the whole salad will suffer and no amount of dressing will save it.
  • If your honey is too thick to whisk, microwave it for ten seconds or run the jar under hot water until it loosens up and pours like syrup.
  • Don't skip the pinch of salt in the dressing; it's the difference between something that tastes okay and something people remember.
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