Warm Sprout Salad with Crispy Chickpeas & Halloumi

I am a sucker for a crispy chickpea, they make a delicious crouton type alternative for the gluten free among us and they are also incredibly easy. Having said this, they do need to be done well and there are a couple of essential points in order to achieve this...

1. Dry them thoroughly. Particularly relevant if the chickpeas are coming from a can. Any moisture left on the chickpea will immediately downgrade the level of crispy-ness (it's a faff, but it's worth it).

2. Eat whilst hot. I'm afraid I haven't found any technique for keeping chickpeas crispy in the fridge. Any tips are welcome, I would love to be proved wrong.

Serves 2

Approximately 1 hour prep and cook time

Vegetarian

Easily made vegan by losing the halloumi, it's pretty tasty regardless however you could also add some crispy fried tempeh/tofu if you fancy.

Ingredients

For the salad..

1 x 400g chickpeas, rinsed and dried

1 tbsp olive oil, plus a little more for frying

2 tsp paprika

Seasoning

300g spouts, halved

100g rocket

100g halloumi, sliced into 4 pieces

For the dressing..

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp parlsey, finely chopped

1 tbsp mint, finely chopped

1 small garlic clove, finely chopped

Seasoning to taste

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (fan). Place the dried chickpeas in a roasting tin, large enough to spread the chickpeas in a single layer. Coat in 1 tbsp olive oil, the paprika and some seasoning. Roast for 30 minutes until golden and crispy (you may like to shake a few times as they cook).

2. Make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients and mixing well.

3. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan before adding the sliced halloumi. Cook for 2 minutes each side until golden.

4. Steam the sprouts to coincide with the chickpeas and halloumi. They should take 3-4 minutes until cooked but still with bite.

5. Divide the rocket between two plates before adding the cooked sprouts, crispy chickpeas and halloumi. Drizzle half the dressing over each plate.