Cheddar Chickpea Slaw

Name: Cheddar Chickpea Slaw
Yield: 10 - 12 Servings
Ingredients: 2 cups (500 mL) dried chickpeas; 2 cups (500 mL) frozen green chickpeas thawed; 1/2 cup (125 mL) extra virgin olive oil; 1/3 cup (80 mL) apple cider vinegar; 1 tbsp (15 mL) sea salt; 1 tsp (5 mL) cracked black pepper; 2 cups (500 mL) sliced stone fruit (plums; peaches; nectarines or apricots); 1 cup (250 mL) green cabbage thinly sliced; 1 cup (250 mL) endive thinly sliced; 1 cup (250 mL) hazelnuts toasted and crushed; 2 cups (500 mL) Natural Pastures’ Aged Farmhouse or Canadian Aged Cheddar crumbled or shredded

Versatile and delicious, this slaw will be a hit at every BBQ, picnic or family reunion; friends and family will ask for seconds…or thirds. This colourful dish is easy to prepare and combines some Canadian favourites, such as crumbled Canadian Aged Cheddar and seasonal fruit.

Created by Chef Ned Bell, Executive Chef

Prep: 25 min
Cooking: 1 h 30
Stand time: 1 h

Yields 10 - 12 Servings

Ingredients

2 cups (500 mL) dried chickpeas
2 cups (500 mL) frozen green chickpeas thawed
1/2 cup (125 mL) extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup (80 mL) apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp (15 mL) sea salt
1 tsp (5 mL) cracked black pepper
2 cups (500 mL) sliced stone fruit (plums, peaches, nectarines or apricots)
1 cup (250 mL) green cabbage thinly sliced
1 cup (250 mL) endive thinly sliced
1 cup (250 mL) hazelnuts toasted and crushed
2 cups (500 mL) Natural Pastures’ Aged Farmhouse or Canadian Aged Cheddar crumbled or shredded

READY FOR REWARDS?

Preparation

In a large pot, bring dried chickpeas and 6 cups (1.5 L) of water to boil; boil gently for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour; drain and rinse well. Return chickpeas to pot; add 10 cups (2.5 L) of water and bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat and simmer until tender, 1 to 1½ hours. Drain but do not rinse.

Place warm chickpeas and green chickpeas in a large bowl. Add oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Stir in fruit, cabbage, endive, nuts and cheese; toss to coat.

Tips

No time to soak or cook the chickpeas, simply substitute 5 cups (1.25 L) drained and rinsed canned chickpeas for the dried and reduce salt to 1½ tsp (7 mL).

Substitute green chickpeas with frozen edamame, cooked according to package directions.

This dish is best served warm, but is also a fantastic recipe made ahead of time and chilled for brunch, lunch, side dish or just simple snack on the go.

Replace stone fruit with fresh raspberries, blueberries or blackberries, and almonds, cashews, walnuts or pecans for the hazelnuts.