Recipe

January 17, 2025

Ask A Chef: Tamieka Eby Shares Green Door Cafe’s Chickpea and Feta Salad Recipe

Recipe: Tamieka Eby

Q: I recently had lunch at the Green Door Café in Wiarton, Ont. The Chickpea and Feta Salad was truly sublime. Can you get the recipe so I can make it at home? — JANET, Toronto

A: Tamieka experimented with a variety of textures to create this salad: there’s crisp kale, crunchy chickpeas, chewy dried cranberries and juicy black olives. “The salty olives and feta mingle with the tart apple cider, and Moroccan spiced chickpeas are a perfect complement,” she says. The cider vinaigrette has a hit of garlic for extra kick!

Ingredients

Cider Vinaigrette

  • 1/3 cup dry apple cider (Tamieka prefers Thornbury Craft Apple Cider)
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 tbsp smooth Dijon
  • 1/2 cup light-flavoured oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Dry-roasted Spiced Chickpeas

  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp light brown sugar
  • 19 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Salad

  • 2 bunches kale
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 small cucumber, sliced
  • 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
  • 1 cup crumbled feta, some reserved for serving
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • Cider Vinaigrette (see above)
  • Dry-roasted Spiced Chickpeas (see above), some reserved for serving

Directions

Yield: Serves 4

Make Vinaigrette

  1. In blender on high speed, combine apple cider, vinegar, garlic, maple syrup and mustard for 45 seconds.
  2. While blending, slowly add in oil until vinaigrette emulsifies, approximately 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Make Chickpeas

  1. In mixing bowl, combine all dry spices and sugar, and set aside.
  2. Spread chickpeas in single layer on paper towel–lined baking sheet. Leave to air dry for 60 minutes. Transfer to clean, dry baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and gently roll to coat.
  3. Roast in oven at 350F, tossing every 10 minutes until chickpeas are crunchy and golden, approximately 45 minutes.
  4. Immediately add to bowl with spice mixture. Toss lightly until chickpeas are well-coated, then transfer back to hot pan to cool completely.

Assemble and Serve

  1. Wash kale, removing stems and tearing larger leaves into bite-size chunks, and place in large bowl. Drizzle kale with fresh lemon juice and sprinkle of salt. Using clean hands, massage kale until it becomes vibrant green.
  2. Add remaining ingredients to bowl and toss. Garnish with reserved feta and chickpeas.
Author: Alexandra Whyte