Curried Chickpea Rice Salad

This curried chickpea rice salad is one of those perfect weekday dinner recipes. It’s filling, fast and tasty. You can make enough to have leftover lunch the next day, saving time and money in the process.

This recipe is very versatile and makes a great accompaniment to a picnic lunch or packs well for those long road trips. It’s one of those foods that’s easy to eat with little to no mess.

You don’t have to use tofu in this recipe, but it makes it more of a main dish and ups the protein. And, you can make it even faster if you purchase pre-made rice.

Follow these instructions if using tofu:

Or, you could use the pre-made quinoa and rice by Seeds of Change which is sold at many stores including Trader Joe’s and Target.

Not a fan of curry? That’s ok as you can make this recipe without it! A chipotle or chili powder will pair well with the lime and maple in lieu of curry.

If you find yourself making this recipe a lot, try using dates or currants instead of the raisins and play with different colors of bell pepper.

Try these other flavorful plant-based recipes:

• Kale Citrus Guacamole
• Curried Coconut Lentil Yam Soup
• Gazpacho
• Grilled Mushroom, Eggplant Sandwich

Did you know that in addition to having sweeter flavor profiles from each other, that they have different levels of nutrients?

I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Curried Chickpea Rice Salad! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking in your caption, and I won’t miss it.

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3.92 from 35 votes

Curried Chickpea Rice Salad

This quick fix recipe is bursting with flavor and is perfect for lunch or dinner. It’s great to eat as a leftover treat and can be seasoned differently depending on your mood or palate. Packs perfectly for picnics or long road trips and is loaded with protein when you need energy.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 20 mins

Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 4 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 4 tsp lime juice
• 4 tsp curry powder
• 4 tsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Salad

• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained
• 1 red bell pepper cored, seeded and chopped
• 2/3 cup red onion finely chopped
• 1 cup cilantro or parsley chopped

Baked Tofu

• 1 container firm organic tofu drained and pressed for 30 minutes
• 1/4 cup soy sauce or Tamari
• 2 Tbl maply syrup
• 2 Tbl ketchup
• 1 Tbl rice vinegar
• dash hot sauce
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/r tsp ground black pepper

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Instructions

Baked Tofu

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly spray the baking sheet with oil.
• Press tofu using a tofu press or by placing something heavy on top for 15 minutes.

  Cut tofu into 1" cubes.
• In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, maple syrup, ketchup, vinegar, hot sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper.
• Gently stir tofu cubes into marinade. Cover and marinate for at least 10 minutes.
• Place tofu on the baking sheet in a single layover. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn tofu, and bake until it turn golden brown, around 15 minutes more.

Rice Salad

• In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients: vinegar, lime juice, curry powder, maple syrup, and salt.
• In a large bowl add cooked rice, raisins, cumin, chickpeas, bell pepper, onion, and cilantro and toss to combine.
• Pour on dressing & mix well.

Notes

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Curried Chickpea Rice Salad

Amount per Serving

Calories

264

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

4.6

g

7

%

Saturated Fat

 

0.8

g

5

%

Sodium

 

334.4

mg

15

%

Carbohydrates

 

46.9

g

16

%

Fiber

 

7.7

g

32

%

Sugar

 

14.2

g

16

%

Protein

 

11.7

g

23

%

Vitamin A

 

350

IU

7

%

Vitamin C

 

42.1

mg

51

%

Calcium

 

170

mg

17

%

Iron

 

4

mg

22

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.