The combination of textures in a creamy, full-of-flavor dressing are, in a phrase, on point.

Red grapes add a sweet, juicy bite, and toasted pecans + bits of crunchy celery add a satisfying crunch. And that creamy dressing, made with tangy Greek yogurt, mayo, lemon and dill … this creamy chickpea salad is so, SO good stuffed inside a croissant.

The Story Behind the Recipe

I’m always excited about the recipes I share with you, but this creamy chickpea salad sandwich is one that I’m extra excited about. It hits on all fronts: It’s super easy to make, perfect for making ahead, and – oh yeah – tastes amazing!

I’ve been seeing a lot of chicken salad recipes with grapes and pecans, and I felt driven to make a version with chickpeas. I am SO GLAD I DID.

Ingredients

For the chickpea salad:

• Chickpeas – I use two cans, which equates to about four cups of chickpeas.
• Pecans – Chop them pretty finely and toast them. Worth it!
• Celery – For that classic chicken salad flavor and a bit of satisfying crunch.
• Onion – Red onion is perfect. I mince it VERY finely because I love the flavor and the bit of crunch but don’t want to find a huge piece of onion in my chickpea salad sandwich.
• Grapes – Many chicken salad recipes called for halved grapes, but I go one step further and quarter them. For me, this just makes more sense for a chickpea version because chickpeas are on the smaller side and in something like this, the textures are more satisfying when the sizes can match up. Plus, you’re more likely to get a sweet juicy grape in very bite!

For the dressing:

• Greek yogurt – Full fat, plain. Sour cream will work as a sub, too, but I like the added health benefits of Greek yogurt (protein, probiotics, etc.) (source)
• Mayonnaise – Adds another note of creamy flavor. Use your favorite brand.
• Lemon juice – From one medium or large juicy lemon.
• Dill – You can use fresh minced dill, or I’ve provided an option for dried dill if that’s what you have on hand.
• Salt & pepper – This one calls for quite a bit of salt because in my opinion, the chickpeas and Greek yogurt need it. If you’re not sure or don’t like a lot of salt, go ahead and start with 1/2 teaspoon then add more at the end if you feel it needs it.

For the sandwiches:

• Croissants – HIGHLY recommend filling croissants with this creamy chickpea salad. But you can also use plain ol’ bread if you prefer.

Tips for Success

• Toast the pecans first. This will give them a chance to cool off a bit before you add them to the salad.
• Mash the chickpea salad. But only a little! This helps the chickpea salad to hold together a bit better inside your sandwiches.

I hope this Creamy Chickpea Salad Sandwich is a winner for you, too! I threw this one together, tweaking here and there where I felt it needed it, and on first taste I thought it was an immediate homerun. It’s SO awesome for making ahead and keeping in the fridge for quick and easy lunches and snacks. Winner winner chickpea dinner!

Favorite Chickpea Recipes

• Vegetarian Tuna Salad Sandwiches with Chickpeas
• Buffalo Chickpea Green Salad
• Massaged Kale Salad with Chickpeas and Avocado
• Broccoli Cheddar Chickpea Noodle Casserole
• Chickpea & Tomato Curry

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Creamy Chickpea Salad Sandwiches with Red Grapes & Toasted Pecans Recipe

Chickpeas, juicy grapes, crunchy pecans, and celery in a creamy lemon-dill dressing, piled into buttery croissants and devoured! This creamy Chickpea Salad Sandwich might just be the BEST (and easiest!) vegetarian sandwich!

Course lunch

Keyword chickpea chicken salad, chickpea salad, chickpea salad sandwich, creamy chickpea salad, vegetarian chicken salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 411kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

For the chickpea salad:

• 1/2 cup pecans chopped and toasted
• 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 1 cup diced celery about 2 stalks
• 1/4 cup finely diced red onion about 1/2 small onion
• 1 cup red grapes quartered

For the dressing:

• 2/3 cup Greek yogurt can substitute sour cream
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced dill or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more to taste

For the sandwiches:

• 6 croissants

Instructions

Toast the pecans

• Lightly chop the pecans and add them to a medium skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring occasionally until fragrant and ever so lightly golden. Remove from heat. When toasting nuts, you want to be sure to remove them from the heat before you think you need to, because they will continue toasting off heat and can burn easily.

Prep chickpea salad ingredients

• To a large bowl, add the chickpeas, celery, onion, grapes, and toasted pecans. Toss gently to mix together.

Make the dressing

• To a small bowl, add the Greek yogurt, mayo, lemon juice, dill, salt, and pepper. Whisk together until combined.

Mix the salad

• Pour the salad dressing over the salad ingredients and combine well.
• Using a potato masher, mash the salad 3-4 times just to smash a few chickpeas then remix it all together. This will help it to be more homogenous and hold together better when inside the sandwich.
• Taste the chickpea salad and add more salt and pepper if desired.

Assemble sandwiches

• Slice croissants in half horizontally and add 3/4 cup to 1 cup of chickpea salad to the bottom half of the croissant. Top with other half. Cut in half vertically and serve.

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Vegan option:

The mayo and Greek yogurt make this non-vegan as-is, but a couple of simple swaps will get you there. I’d recommend vegan mayo and either store-bought or homemade vegan sour cream for the Greek yogurt.

Gluten-free option: 

Use a gluten-free croissant or a couple of slices of your favorite GF bread. Or just serve this up on a bed of lettuce and bypass the bread altogether.

Meat option:

If you’re making sandwiches for meat-eaters and vegetarians eating together, I’d divide the pecans, grapes, celery, and onion between two medium-size bowls. Add half the chickpeas to one and about a cup of cooked, chopped chicken to the other. Divide the dressing between the bowls and mix together. Voila! Chicken salad and chickpea “chicken” salad!

 

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 708mg | Potassium: 244mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 536IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Creamy Chickpea Salad Sandwich with Red Grapes & Pecans Recipe appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

I worked long and hard on creating the BEST red sangria recipe and I’m finally ready to share it with you!

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Developing the Recipe for Red Sangria
• Red Wine Sangria Ingredients
• Adaptations & Variations
• How to Make It
• How to Serve Red Sangria
• How Long Does Red Sangria Last in the Fridge?
• What to Serve with Red Sangria
• More Sangria Recipes

• Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe

The Story Behind the Recipe

When we moved awhile back, we left behind a favorite restaurant – a small, local, Italian eatery. We’d split a dreamy brick-oven quattro formaggi pizza – the perfect size for the two of us – and, buoyed by the fact that we were saving so much money on our simple shared dinner, we’d often splurge on a drink or two as well. My favorite? Their red sangria, a Spanish beverage. But being that we were in an Italian restaurant, their red sangria had a decidedly Italian influence (namely, orange!)

It was ruby red, earthy, fruity but not too sweet. Most memorably, it was clearly spiced with something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Cloves? Allspice? Cinnamon? Maybe. I decided to start fishing for the recipe – or at least try to score a few hints – but man. They were seriously tight-lipped about their sangria.

I played dumb with a new waiter, pointing at the menu and asking, “Hmm. This sangria looks good. What’s in it?” I got some sort of generic answer. “Red wine. And … stuff.” I asked a waitperson who knew us well, but she was loyal to the restaurant. She offered just about the same amount of info – that is, nada.

When a friend’s son began working there, I thought maybe I finally had an in. A few weeks later, he reported back with something along the lines of the fact that the owner was indeed very secretive about his sangria recipe. No info.

Whatever man!

Developing the Recipe for Red Sangria

For this recipe, I ventured a tiny bit from the classic formula by skipping the sugar (I like to make up for it by adding ginger beer – plenty sweet – right before drinking) and – my secret weapon and I now suspect also the restaurant owner’s – a spoonful of allspice. The allspice adds a wonderful warm, spicy, and seasonal note along with the orange and apples, making for a glorious overall sangria indeed.

When I took my first sip of this red wine sangria, I practically did a fist pump. Or maybe I actually did – no “practically” about it. This stuff was very, very close to my restaurant fave. But I’m not going to keep my recipe a secret!

Red Wine Sangria Ingredients

The elements of red sangria are citrus (usually orange or lemon), maybe some apples, a fruity (but not too sweet) red wine, some sugar, and possibly some brandy or other liqueur. Simple, delicious.

For this red sangria recipe, we have:

• Red wine – A fruity yet somewhat neutral, dry red wine is the best in traditional sangria. You want it to be lower in tannins (so no Cabernet Sauvignon). Other great red wines for sangria are: Tempranillo, Rioja, Pinot Noir or red blends that are on the drier side. No need to spend a lot of money, here! A $10-$20 bottle will do you just fine.
• Orange juice – This helps your red sangria have that unmistakably juicy, fruity taste. Use fresh squeezed or bottled. Both are excellent!
• Fruit – apples, oranges, and red grapes. The grapes are optional but SO GOOD!
• Allspice – Whole allspices are the secret ingredient for a warm, slightly spiced traditional red sangria.
• Brandy
• Triple sec
• Ginger beer – A nice, zesty ginger beer is my favorite. Ginger ale or lemon-lime soda will also work. I also like sparkling water but the result is definitely less sweet. If you like a less-sweet sangria, this is the option for you, or you can start with a sweeter wine, or even add a little simple syrup to adjust the sweetness to your liking right before serving.

Adaptations & Variations

• If you’d rather leave out the ginger beer, I suggest stirring a spoonful or two of sugar into your sangria, to taste.
• Feel free to add whatever fruit you like! Lemons add a nice bright note (though they’re not really munchable). Berries, plums, pears, pineapple, and mango are all delicious!

How to Make It

It’s easy! Just add the ingredients (except the ginger beer) to a pitcher, stir, and chill for at least 4 hours.

How to Serve Red Sangria

Pull out a few pieces of fruit and add them to a glass. Remove any allspice if you prefer. Pour sangria in about 3/4 full, then top off with your carbonated beverage.

How Long Does Red Sangria Last in the Fridge?

Without the ginger beer, red sangria will last in the fridge for up to 4 days. Once you add the carbonated beverage, the bubbles will only last for so long, so add those when serving.

What to Serve with Red Sangria

• Moroccan Spiced Almonds
• Olive Hummus
• Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

More Sangria Recipes

• Apple Sangria – One of my absolute faves! Juicy red sangria with apples and spices.
• Strawberry Sangria
• Summer Sangria
• Apple Cider Sangria
• Pear Sangria
• Spiced Sangria
• Watermelon Sangria
• Mason Jar Sangria
• Margarita Sangria

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Classic Red Sangria Recipe

Full-of-flavor red wine sangria with apples, oranges, allspice, and brandy. A splash of zesty ginger beer tops it off. Beware, this goes fast!

Prep Time 4 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 449kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 750 ml dry red wine 1 bottle
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 large or 2 small apples cored and cut into chunks
• 1 medium navel orange sliced
• 1 cup red grapes optional
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice
• 3/4 cup brandy
• 1/2 cup Triple Sec
• 2 12-ounce bottles ginger beer*

Instructions

• To a large pitcher, add all ingredients except for the ginger beer. Seal or cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 10 hours. Scoop out a few pieces of fruit and add it to your glass, picking out the allspice if you prefer. Pour the sangria into the glass to about 3/4 full. Top off with ginger beer and stir gently to mix. And now the best part: serve and drink!

Notes

Wine notes: A fruity yet somewhat neutral, dry red wine is the best in traditional sangria. You want it to be lower in tannins (so no Cabernet Sauvignon). Other great red wines for sangria are: Tempranillo, Rioja, Pinot Noir or red blends that are on the drier side. No need to spend a lot of money, here! A $10-$20 bottle will do you just fine.

* A nice, zesty ginger beer is my favorite. Ginger ale or lemon-lime soda will also work. I also like sparkling water but the result is definitely less sweet. If you like a less-sweet sangria, this is the option for you, or you can start with a sweeter wine, or even add a little simple syrup to adjust the sweetness to your liking right before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 449kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 327mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 254IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 0.5mg

The post Classic Red Sangria Recipe appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

I love this fruit salad any time of year, to be honest, but find it’s the perfect Thanksgiving fruit salad – and I also just like it all Autumn long. The colors of Autumn Fruit Salad with apples, pears, grapes, & pecans are what really draw me in … vibrant, harvest tones.

In this article

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Fall Fruit Salad Ingredients
• What to Serve with Fall Fruit Salad
• More Fall & Fruit Salad Recipes

The Story Behind the Recipe

It’s fall! I’ve embraced cozy sweaters, the fact that we’ve had to turn our thermostat back on, and fall produce. Pumpkins! Squash! Crisp right-off-the-tree apples! Oh, happy day.

This fall fruit salad came to be a couple of weeks ago when an awesome neighbor bought a couple of 40 pound boxes (!!) of honeycrisp apples and divvied it up amongst several of us.

The next morning, I peered at the happy-making bowl of honeycrisps gracing our kitchen counter and I decided that a reverse of my usual breakfast – yogurt with fruit on top – was in order.

So I made this fruit salad for the first time – with honeycrisps, some ripe pears, and a few plums I had on hand, and a dressing made with Greek yogurt. Yum.

The dressing came together flawlessly the first time I took a stab at it (I love it when that happens!) – a little of this, a little of that, perfect!

Fall Fruit Salad Ingredients

The fruit, I ended up tinkering with a bit to end up with this final result. I decided I favor red grapes over plums; crisp pears work better than softer varieties – and if you can’t find great pears for this salad, you’re better off leaving them out and throwing in extra apples and grapes.

We’ve got:

• Bartlett pears
• Honeycrisp apples
• Red grapes

And then for the Cinnamon Greek Yogurt Dressing (but it’s versatile if you need a dairy-free version – see the recipe for notes!) we have:

• Greek yogurt
• Zest & juice of a lemon
• Pure vanilla extract
• Pure maple syrup or honey
• Cinnamon & nutmeg

And then to top it all, if you like a bit of crunch atop your fall fruit salad, go for some:

• Chopped pecans

(But it’s perfectly delicious without any nuts, too).

What to Serve with Fall Fruit Salad

If you’re looking for a Thanksgiving fruit salad, this would be absolutely perfect. Perhaps the vegan version served up with this Thanksgiving menu?

I love to pass this fall fruit salad along with fat stacks of these pumpkin pancakes for the perfect fall breakfast. Or for a heartier breakfast, perhaps a breakfast casserole + fruit salad situation could be a winner? Here’s a meaty breakfast casserole to check out, or perhaps one with mushrooms and Swiss cheese?

More Fall & Fruit Salad Recipes

• Looking for a green salad instead? This Simple Fall Green Salad with Honeycrisp Apples & Pecans has you covered.
• This Kale Salad with Almonds has an irresistible lemony garlic dressing. A fave all season!
• Here’s a fruit salad for another season – summer! I love the lemon poppyseed dressing.

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Fall Fruit Salad

Crisp apples, sweet pears, and juicy grapes combined with a creamy cinnamon Greek yogurt dressing, and then sprinkled with a few chopped pecans for crunch. Oh, happy harvest! There's a delicious dairy-free/vegan option too.

Course Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 222kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 2 medium Bartlett pears or other ripe but firm pears, diced
• 2 medium apples a fresh, crisp variety like honeycrisp, cripps, or pink lady is best, diced
• 1 cup red grapes halved
• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt can substitute your favorite plain or vanilla non-dairy yogurt – see notes
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest from 1 medium lemon
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice from the zested lemon
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup can substitute honey
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup pecans* chopped

Instructions

• Place pears, apples, and grapes in a large bowl. Toss gently to combine. Set aside.
• To a small bowl, add the yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Use a wire whisk to blend well.
• Drizzle dressing over the fruit. Toss gently until fruit is coated. Scoop into bowls and sprinkle with pecans. Serve immediately.

Notes

Nutrition information includes pecans.

*If you prefer to make this without the pecans, just leave them off – it’s still plenty delicious without them.

Dairy-free option:

Use your favorite non-dairy yogurt, either plain or vanilla. Depending on how sweet your non-dairy yogurt is, you may want to adjust the sweetener.

Vegan option:

Follow the dairy-free option and choose pure maple syrup for the sweetener.

Make-ahead tips:

The salad tends to get a little watery if it sits for long, so I recommend keeping the dressing and the salad separate until right before serving. Also, if you cut your fruit far ahead of time, try tossing it with a little fresh lemon juice to help keep it from browning.

Nutrition

Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 360mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 103IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Fall Fruit Salad appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.