I can't lie, this is the #1 legume-based salad I've ever made and I'm ecstatic for you to try it yourself. Balela means "cooked chickpeas" in Arabic and that's it! It's a chickpea & black beans based salad that packs so much flavor & nutrients.
I want to say that there are many versions of this recipe but this is my take on it! The main ingredients in mine are chickpeas, black beans, cherry tomatoes, green onion, fresh mint, fresh parsley, and jalapeño. Other recipes include green olives, red onion, or fresh dill. It's up to you and what you like!
This recipe is easily meal-preppable & can be made in large batches. The best thing is there is no cooking necessary, just chopping. You can't go wrong!
So, let's get to the recipe.
Yields: 1-4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
This recipe is dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan.
Ingredients:
Salad
1. 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2. 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
3. 1 cup of chopped in half cherry tomatoes
4. 2 green onion, finely diced
5. ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely diced
6. 2 TBSP freshly chopped mint (leave this step until you serve the salad because mint will wilt)
Dressing
1. 3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2. Juice of 1 lemon
3. 1 garlic clove
4. ½ TSP sumac
5. ¼ TSP Aleppo pepper
6. ¼ jalapeño
7. Salt and black pepper to taste
8. 2 TSP white wine vinegar
Instructions:
1. First, grab a serving bowl and have all of your salad ingredients prepared (besides the mint).
2. Place all of the ingredients into the bowl.
3. Grab a food processor and place all of the dressing components into the processor. Blend until you get a consistent dressing.
4. Once you are ready to serve the salad, pour the dressing onto the salad and add in the fresh mint.
5. Mix very well and taste test for salt. Add if necessary and mix again.
