Buffalo Chickpea Chopped Salad

February 27, 2014

Buffalo Chickpea Chopped Salad | Sarcastic Cooking

Today my husband Mike turns the big 3-0. Now, most times when I mention Mike on the blog I share some kind of crazy story about him like, how he bought me flowers for Valentine’s Day from a cemetery florist, how he talks in his sleep and shouted “CHUMBAWAMBA” in the middle of the night, or about how he refuses to get new glasses and wears my old ones which are way too big for his head and face. The list goes on and on my friends.

Today, I wanna give him a nice shout out and some credit where credit is due.

I have known Mike since we were 20. I know him pretty well and I know that he isn’t just all goofy and forgetful. He has a huge heart. He is kind of like a Labrador. Yes, a dog. Hold on this is going to be a nice simile. Like a Labrador, he is loyal. If you have his back, he has yours. He may look friendly, but when it comes down to it he will punch a dude… or maybe just talk to them very sternly. He isn’t much of a fighter. (I learned this the hard way in college when a bar patron pulled my chair out from underneath me for no reason and Mike went to give him a talking to after my girlfriend had pinned him to the bathroom door.)

Roasted Chickpeas

He is also the life of the party. Just like a Labrador, if you throw a ball with him once, he will expect this activity to last forever. Mike is usually the last one to leave a party. Now that we have a child, this may not be one of my favorite facets of his personality. I have also started to see this trait develop in Andy. Every time somebody is over, he refuses to nap because he wants to hang out. Not cool kid, not cool. But, it is just because Mike is so a people person.

Roasted Buffalo Chickpeas

Mike also wants people to like him. Not in a needy kind of way. He is really easy going and normally gets along with everybody. If he senses somebody is shy or standoffish, he will go out of his way to reach out to them and try to make them have fun and make them smile. You have to do a lot to have Mike not like you. If you are not a dog person and you are around a lab, they will sniff you out and try to show you why you should loooove them. That’s Mike.

Roasted Buffalo Chickpea Chopped Salad | Sarcastic Cooking

There are so many more traits I could list as to why he is one of my favorite people in the whole world to spend time with, but I don’t want to get all mushy gushy on you. For all of these reasons and more, I am so happy to spend my time in the trenches (aka parenting) with him. We could not be more opposite sometimes and I think that works as a perfect balance.

And for that reason, I have decided to share with you a recipe which combines Mike’s love of all things buffalo and my love of weird healthy crunchy things. The perfect balance!

Happy 30th birthday, Mike. There is nobody I would rather share a box of wine with, nobody I would rather talk about poop with, nor anyoneI would rather sit in silence with after we just got the little time bomb to sleep.

Buffalo Chickpea Chopped Salad | Sarcastic Cooking

Buffalo Chickpea Chopped Salad

Crispy roasted chickpeas coated in buffalo sauce tossed together with a lovely salad and drizzled with a lime-ranch dressing.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 2 Salads

Ingredients

  • For the Chickpeas:
  • 1, 15 Ounce Can Chickpeas drained and rinsed (or 1 cup cooked chickpeas)
  • 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil or 1 Spray of Canola Oil
  • Pinch of Salt
  • Pinch of Pepper
  • Pinch of Smoked Paprika
  • Pinch of Chili Seasoning
  • 1 Tablespoon Buffalo Sauce
  • For the Salad:
  • 1 Head of Romaine chopped
  • 1 Orange Bell Pepper diced
  • 1 Tomato seeded and diced
  • ½ Cup Diced Cucumber
  • 1 Green Onion chopped
  • 1 Celery Stalk diced
  • ½ Cup Blue Cheese or Pecorino Crumbles
  • 1 Tablespoon Fresh Chopped Parsley
  • 1 Tablespoon Fresh Chopped Cilantro
  • For the Dressing:
  • 2 Tablespoons Ranch Dressing pick your favorite
  • Pinch of Black Pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon Buttermilk
  • 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil.
  2. Set out a kitchen towel or paper towels. Arrange the chickpeas in one layer over the towels and then place another towel over the chickpeas. Dry the chickpeas completely.
  3. Add dried chickpeas to the foil. Mist with oil and then stir to make sure they are evenly coated. Season and then give the pan a shake so all the chickpeas get some seasoning on them. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the pan and flip chickpeas with spatula. Return the pan to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
  4. Right before you arrange the salads, add the buffalo sauce to the chickpeas and toss them around until all the chickpeas are evenly coated.
  5. Distribute all salad ingredients evenly between two bowls. Top with the chickpeas, cilantro, parsley, extra cheese, and the dressing. Serve right away.

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  • Jennie @themessybakerblog
    March 4, 2014 at 6:03 am

    Mike sounds like a fun dude! Happy big 3-0, Mike. Oh my, this salad is a perfect way to celebrate. Love it! Pinned.

  • Stephie @ EYHO
    March 1, 2014 at 9:33 pm

    Happy birthday, Mike, my crazy sleepwalking friend!! You should have reminded me it was his birthday so I could have razzed him on Tuesday about becoming an old fart. (For the record, only men become old farts. When you turn 30 you’ll be lovely and sophisticated.)

    xoxo

  • Trish @infinebalance
    February 28, 2014 at 10:51 pm

    I love chickpeas and I love buffalo chicken wing sauce. But I don’t eat chicken. SOOO i love this idea! I’m making a batch of those chickpeas right now.

  • ATasteOfMadness
    February 28, 2014 at 10:24 pm

    Happy birthday to your husband! Such a sweet shout out 🙂
    I LOVE chickpeas. This is definitely my kind of salad

  • miss messy
    February 28, 2014 at 2:38 pm

    Love Love Love the chickpeas on this 🙂 looks delicious

  • Tiffany @ Triple Crème Decadence
    February 27, 2014 at 8:17 pm

    Happy Birthday to Mike! I love that you spiced up those chick peas. What a tasty way to spruce up a salad!

    • Stefanie
      February 27, 2014 at 8:25 pm

      You gotta spice it up! Nobody wants a boring salad!

  • Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
    February 27, 2014 at 7:38 pm

    awwww how sweet! I loved getting to know Mike better via this post (and wow-a husband who doesn’t like to fight….what’s that like? Michael is SUCH a confrontational person. Oi lol)

    • Stefanie
      February 27, 2014 at 8:24 pm

      Oh believe me, we fight, don’t worry! Guys calm down in their old age, haha!

  • Sadye
    February 27, 2014 at 7:34 pm

    Aw, I think pet lovers didn’t bat an eyelash at the lab comparison 🙂 Thanks for the new roasted chickpea idea, and happy birthday indeed to Mike!

    • Stefanie
      February 27, 2014 at 8:23 pm

      You’ll love the roasted chickpeas! You’ll be popping them in your mouth one after another!

  • cheri
    February 27, 2014 at 6:06 pm

    What a great idea, I add chick peas to salad all the time, but crunchy chick peas is a whole new level.

    • Stefanie
      February 27, 2014 at 7:19 pm

      You have to try roasted chickpeas! They are even good as a snack. I am obsessed!

  • Susan
    February 27, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    This is so sweet! Happy Birthday Mike! This salad is awesome. Love those crispy chickpeas.

    • Stefanie
      February 27, 2014 at 7:18 pm

      Thanks Susan! Crunchy chickpeas are sooooo addictive!

  • Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough
    February 27, 2014 at 2:16 pm

    Such a sweet post 🙂 Happy birthday Mike! This salad looks like the bomb.com.

    • Stefanie
      February 27, 2014 at 3:28 pm

      I love that you just said bomb.com!!!

  • Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe
    February 27, 2014 at 11:54 am

    Roasted buffalo chickpeas – genius! I love the sounds of this salad and all of its textures. Happy birthday to Mike!

    • Stefanie
      February 27, 2014 at 3:27 pm

      Oh why thank you Amanda!

  • julia
    February 27, 2014 at 11:35 am

    Chickpeas are one of my favorite things to add to salads..in fact I just had a salad with them in it. Love this colorful healthy salad! Stay warm!

    • Stefanie
      February 27, 2014 at 3:27 pm

      I love that crunch of the chickpeas in the salad!