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This cucumber chickpea tomato salad is a big hit even if you don’t like salads. It’s a healthy and filling side dish taking only 10 minutes to prepare!
I am NOT a fan of salads. They aren’t the first thing I think about when building curves. But, salads can be very healthy for one’s health.
The trick is to bulk them up with calorie-dense foods and plant-based protein and this cucumber chickpea tomato salad has all both of those components.
What Makes this Salad Curve Building Friendly?
There are 3 ingredients added to this salad that makes it good for healthy weight gain:
- Chickpeas. Packed with plant-based protein and “curvy” carbohydrates.
- Hemp Seeds. Also a good source of plant-based protein and healthy “fat full” foods.
- Avocados. Very high in calories and an awesome source of “fat full” foods. It helps make the salad more filling.
What to Eat with This Salad?
This salad is good on its own! You can also eat it with the following vegan recipes:
How to make Cucumber Chickpea Tomato Salad?
*Please read detailed and printable recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
Put Together Your Salad
- Chop your veggies and add them to a bowl. Then make your salad dressing sauce. (Photos 1 & 2)
- Pour your dressing over your salad and toss. (Photos 3 & 4)
Substitution, Cook, and Storage Tips:
- I used canned chickpeas for convenience but if you prefer you can use dried chickpeas. Be sure to soak and cook them first of course.
- Don’t like chickpeas? Try this dish with white or black beans.
- Pine nuts pair well with this salad and can be used in place of hemp seeds.
- Add some vegan feta to this salad! I love Violife’s vegan feta or you can make your own Homemade Vegan Feta.
- This salad will keep in the fridge for 2 – 3 days. It is NOT freezer friendly.
How Does This Recipe Help With Vegan Weight Gain?
The chickpeas and avocado in this recipe are high in protein, “curvy” carbohydrates, and healthy fats (a calorie-dense food) perfect for healthy weight gain.
One serving of chickpeas (100 grams or ½ cup) has 19 grams of protein and 61 grams of carbohydrates. One medium avocado has 300 calories and 29 grams of healthy fat!
How Does This Recipe Help With Vegan Weight Loss?
You can make this recipe apart of your vegan weight loss plan by:
- Lower the portion serving.
- Omit the chickpeas, avocados, OR hemp seeds (not all three as you want some substance to your salad).
- Add lettuce to your salad as it’s high watered, low calorie, and make you full faster.
More Salad Recipes You’ll Love
Other Chickpea Recipes
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Cucumber Chickpea Tomato Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 large cucumber note 4
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, chopped note 4
- ¼ medium red onion, chopped
- 1-2 medium avocado, chopped
- 1 can (15 ounces) can chickpeas (Garbanzo beans), drained note 1
- ½ – 1 cup kalamata olives note 2
- handful parsley
- handful cilantro
Salad Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon agave nectar
Optional Addition
- 3 tablespoons whole hempseeds note 3
Instructions
- Rinse and chop your cucumbers, onions, avocados, parsley, and cilantro. Add these ingredients to a large salad mixing bowl.
- Rinse and slice your cherry tomatoes in half and add them all to a large salad bowl along with your chickpeas and olives.
- Grab a small bowl and add olive oil, lime juice, red wine vinegar, black pepper, sea salt, garlic powder, and agave nectar. Mix well and pour over your salad.
- Sprinkle on your hempseeds and toss your salad until flavors are fully combined.
- Serve immediately alone or with your favorite Vegan BBQ Recipes. You can store in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Video
Notes
- CHICKPEAS: I used canned chickpeas for convenience but if you prefer you can use dried chickpeas. Be sure to soak and cook them first of course. Don’t like chickpeas? Try this dish with white or black beans!
- OLIVES: This salad has kalamata olives which really gives the salad flavor. You can swap out with green olives or omit completely if you do not like the taste of olives.
- OPTIONAL: Pine nuts pair well with this salad and can be used in place of hemp seeds. Or hemp seeds can be omitted as it won’t effect the taste however you will lose calories by doing so.
- ADDITIONS & SUBSITUTIONS: English Cucumbers will work just fine for this salad if you want to use that instead. Also you can use chopped Roma (plum) tomatoes, multiple colored cherry tomatoes, or even red peppers. Raw zucchini would also be a great addition to this salad!
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published on July 18, 2018, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, tips, and a video on July 11, 2019.
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