I like to get creative in the kitchen, but a lot of the time, especially when I was in school, or plodding through the doldrums of living in LA, I would just throw some broccoli or Brussel sprouts on a sheet pan with some chickpeas and call it a day. Roasting them up with olive oil, salt, and nutritional yeast. And then just eating it plain. Which isn’t a bad meal. It’s generally healthy. But it’s pretty boring, and is a *lot* of fiber. So it was both insanely filling but then didn’t seem like a proper meal?
So I have to say, this recipe seems… painfully obvious. And yet, in all my years of just roasting chickpeas and veggies and eating them plain, I never thought to zhuzh it up a bit! The most I ever did was eat them with some hummus! But making it a Caesar salad makes it feel like a proper meal. And it’s just as easy. While your veggies and chickpeas are in the oven, you can roast up some breadcrumbs and grate some cheese. And then just assemble everything together with dressing when the veggies are out of the oven. Still simple! Just elevated!
I’ve said this before, but one of my most common cravings is a Caesar salad. It’s a random thing to crave, considering it’s not super nutrient dense. Maybe I just crave the salt and fat of the dressing, and oftentimes the chicken that gets served with it. It’s also a volume food, which means there’s plenty of it to crave. Regardless, I’m aware of the lack of nutrient density in just having romaine lettuce doused in Caesar dressing. But this combo hits the spot for satisfying the craving for a Caesar-y, crunchy, questionably-healthy meal… but it actually is way healthier.
This also runs into my classic issue, for those of you who have read my “real food” recipes. When I cook, the recipes are always flexible. Use whatever your favorite veggie is, use whatever ratios of beans to veggies you want. Use as much dressing as you want. I’m really just telling you what to put together, in whatever amounts you want!
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PinIngredients
1 head/bushel/bag of your favorite vegetable to roast
Panko bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese, grated
1 can chickpeas
Caesar dressing (your favorite)
Olive oil, salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
While preheating, strain and rinse your chickpeas. Spread them out on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and nutritional yeast if desired. Do the same with your vegetable.
Once the oven is preheated, put the chickpeas in. This is where you can make your own calls. For really crispy chickpeas, roast them for 30 minutes. If you don’t want them as crispy, only do 20. The same goes for your vegetable – it depends how crispy you want it, and which vegetable you’re using! But try to time them to come out of the oven at the same time.
While your veggies are roasting, heat up some olive oil in a pan on the stove, and add breadcrumbs. Let them toast until they’re golden brown, and then set aside, off the heat.
Once your veggies are done, you can start assembling! Plate your veggies, chickpeas, and breadcrumbs. Grate some Parmesan over the top, and dress with your favorite dressing. Enjoy!