disclosure: This is a sponsored post as part of my 2015 DOLE ambassadorship.

I totally inhaled this salad today. And what a wonderful thing to inhale SALAD instead of cookies. Or fries. Or potato chips. Or that last slice of double chocolate cake.

Today’s Smoky-Maple Chickpea Pomegranate Salad recipe is easy. Cravable. And ready before you can say “What do you want for takeout hunny?” So here. Grab a big mixing bowl, your favorite salad fork and let’s get salad-ing.

These smoky-sweet skillet chickpeas are ready in just a few minutes. Easy and so good. Everyone should have these in their culinary arsenal.

Salad Loves…

– fluffy whole grains (farro)
– fresh fruit to bring texture and sweetness (apple)
– hearty legumes (skillet chickpeas)
– LOADS of veggies, made easy (we’ll get to that in a sec)
– seeds or nuts (golden flaxseeds)
– Flavorful dressing (two dressings – sweet pomegranate and spicy sriracha)
– vegan status (100% plant based bowl)
– …just to name a few.

Fluffy farro… love this stuff. I used Trader Joes 10-Minute Farro so it was quick to prepare.

Blogging Life. Today’s post marks the last 2015 blogpost I am doing as part of my year-long ambassadorship with DOLE. I am so happy to have been able to work with one of the world’s largest produce brands by crafting healthy, vegan recipes filled with fruits and veggies. And I loved being able to meet with the DOLE Nutrition Institute Team in North Carolina and give feedback on products, my vegan perspective and see fruit and veggie nutrition research in action!

Some of my DOLE recipes this year include my DIY DOLE Whip and Peanut Sriracha Chickpea-Rice-Sweet Potato Bowl and my blender-made Pineapple Lemonade. That DOLE WHIP is a must.

I could not be the full time blogger that I am today without the support from my sponsor brands. So thank you to them and thank you to YOU guys, my readers for participating in these posts.

But anyways…. This post is about an super delicious salad.

I mean, this salad was ah-mazing. I couldn’t stop eating it.

Chopped Salad Kits from DOLE. This salad with allllll these veggie goodies in it was made super easy by using DOLE’s new vegan Chopped Salad kit.

Before going vegan, (this was back in the 90’s) I LOVED salad kits. I loved how easy they were to prepare and how delicious they tasted. But once I went vegan I quickly realized that all the kits on the market contained animal products. Meat and/or dairy – creamy dairy-based dressings or cheeses. So I ditched salad kits. Which is a shame because they are a lifesaver for busy families. And also college students — who may be squeezed into tiny dorm rooms, sans kitchen space – or shared housing – or just not have loads of excess cash to buy fancy takeout salads — and on and on. Salad kits to the rescue. (That sounds much better than fast food burgers and fries to the rescue.)

New Salad Kit. The vegan Pomegranate Chopped Salad Kit contains cranberries, golden flaxseeds, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, romaine, kale , carrots, green onions and a bold and sweet Pomegranate Vinaigrette with real pomegranate juice, balsamic vinegar, ginger and orange juice.

My Chopped Salad Kit Review. Brussels sprouts, flax seeds, kale, carrots, green onions… all great. Each bag has about 490 calories – and that includes the veggies, toppings and dressing. Flax seeds in a salad kit? Win!

The dressing is super flavorful, and they give you a generous portion so you can easily pump up your salad and add in your own additional leafy greens, fruit, grains, beans and chopped veggies if you’d like.

The flavors are on the SWEET side with the citrusy pomegranate dressing and sweet dried cranberries, but I think the sweetness makes the salad part super easy for ANYONE to love. Yes, even kids and teenagers. Try this kit on them and see if they inhale it too.

SALAD KIT TIP: Start off by just adding half the dressing packet, taste testing and adding more if desired.

Salad. Pleased to find dark leafy greens and chopped raw Brussels sprouts in there!

Make it a Meal. To make this salad kit into a plant-based power meal I added my favorite skillet smoky-maple chickpeas and fluffy farro for a whole grain. I then added a creamy sweet sriracha drizzle on top too which just made all those sweet flavors pop!

Added farro.. (not in the kit)

So like I said, I inhaled this salad. And I hope you can try it and inhale some SALAD soon too.

Chickpea Pomegranate Salad with Farro, Apples

By Kathy Patalsky
Published 12/18/2015

This spicy-sweet meal-approved vegan salad has loads of veggies, chickpeas, apple, whole grains and bold flavor in every bite!

Ingredients

Skillet Chickpeas:
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 tsp spices (I used a mixture of smoky paprika, chipotle and cayenne)
2 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1-2 tsp extra virgin olive oil – for pan
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
–
2 cups cooked whole grain (I used quick cooking 10-minute farro from Trader Joes)
2 DOLE Pomegranate Chopped Salad Kits
1 apple, diced
–
Sriracha Sauce (optional):
1/2 cup Vegenaise vegan mayo
1-3 tsp sriracha

Instructions

Prepare your grain ahead of time to it is warm and fluffy. Set aside until needed.
Chickpeas: Add oil and onion to a skillet over high heat. Saute for a minute then add in the chickpeas. Saute for 2-3 minutes, then add in the spices. Shake pan to evenly distribute. Finish off by adding the vinegar. Shake pan again. Add salt and pepper to taste if desired. Turn off heat and set pan aside.
Salad Kit: In a big bowl, add the base chopped veggies, flax seeds, cranberries and the dressing. Toss well. Fold in the chopped apple.
Sauce: Whisk the sriracha and mayo together to make the creamy sauce.
Assemble salad bowls: Add a layer of the chopped salad, then 1/2 cup grains, then follow up with the chickpeas and sriracha sauce drizzled on top. Serves four easily. Or two really hungry people.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 15 mins.
Cook time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.
Total time: 25 mins.
Tags: salad,entree,dole,chopped salad, salad kit, chickpeas, apple, sriracha,pomegranate,cranberries,flaxseeds