Big heart salad bowl with roasted chickpeas

Ingredients:

For the salad:

• 1 large heart of romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
• 1 avocado, diced

For the roasted chickpeas:

• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. In a bowl, toss the drained and rinsed chickpeas with olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
3. Spread the chickpeas out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer. Roast in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until crispy, shaking the pan halfway through cooking.
4. While the chickpeas are roasting, prepare the salad ingredients. Chop the romaine lettuce, halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the cucumber and red bell pepper, thinly slice the red onion, slice the black olives, crumble the feta cheese if using, and dice the avocado. Place all these ingredients in a large salad bowl.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, honey or maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper to make the dressing.
6. Once the chickpeas are done roasting, remove them from the oven and let them cool slightly.
7. Add the roasted chickpeas to the salad bowl with the other ingredients.
8. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss everything together until evenly coated.
9. Serve the salad immediately as a main dish or alongside your favorite meal.

Enjoy your big heart salad bowl with roasted chickpeas!