It is hard to believe that it is already August. Once the 4th of July rolls through, summer always seems to jump into hyper speed. Good thing that my favorite season is just at summer's coattails - fall! Before we enter "pumpkin spice land", let's savor all of late summer's bounty. This salad captures just that and features peaches, corn, and sun gold tomatoes tossed together with peppery arugula, crispy crunchy chickpeas, toasted almonds, and creamy tart feta. It's perfect for a hot summer night or a simple poolside lunch.
peach, corn, and arugula salad with crispy chickpeas
serves 4
4 cups baby arugula
2 ears of corn
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
1/2 cup almonds
2 peaches or nectarines, thinly sliced
1 cup sun gold or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
1/2 cup sheep milk feta, crumbled
1 avocado, diced
dressing
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two sheet trays with parchment paper. In a large bowl toss the chickpeas with 1 tablespoon avocado oil, paprika, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, salt and pepper and spread out evenly on the sheet tray. Scatter the almonds on the other sheet tray. Place both trays in the oven. Cook almonds for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly toasted and fragrant. Let cool and coarsely chop. Roast the chickpeas for 45 minutes or until crispy, tossing halfway through cooking.
If you prefer your corn raw, remove kernels from the cob and set aside. If you want them cooked, place the cobs whole, husks on, in the oven along side the sheet trays and roast for 45 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove cobs, let cool, and cut off kernels. You can also blanch the corn in boiling water for 2 to 4 minutes.
While the chickpeas cook, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing in a large serving bowl. Dip a piece of arugula into the dressing to taste. Adjust dressing, if needed.
Once you are ready to eat, add the arugula, corn, peaches, tomatoes, feta, and avocado to the bowl. Toss to combine. Top with chickpeas and toasted almonds and enjoy!
