Mediterranean Chickpea & Pomegranate Salad

Refreshing, delicious and filling... 
with a little effect on your blood sugar balance, a great deal when dealing with Chronic stress and many of the other chronic ailments

   The creamy texture of chickpeas, which are a good source of protein, fibre, Folate, and Iron, contrasts perfectly with the crunch of the freshly cut vegetables. Cucumber (95% water) is rich in Folate, and Celery, in Potassium, and Calcium.
   Goat cheese, easier to digest than cheese made with cow’s milk, also contains 25 percent more Vit B-6 and nearly half as much Vit A.
   Top up your Vit B-6 levels with the addition of sunflower seeds.
   Easily the trendiest Superfood around, pomegranate packs an amazing array of vitamins acting as powerful antioxidants,Polyphenols, which may help the body combat cancer-causing agents, and tannins (3 times as much as green tea), is also known to lower blood pressure and stimulate the immune system. The fruit is also rich in vitamins A, C and E, and iron (without it, red blood cells are unable to transport oxygen, leading to the most common form of anaemia).
   Ginger not only add a fantastic twist to the salad, but it also has many benefits on the digestive system, and it is known to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Serves 4-6
Preparation 10 minutes
Cooking time 60 - 70 minutes

Ingredients

4 Handful of Baby Spinach Leaves
1 Pomegranate
125 g Fresh Goat Cheese log
100 g Dried Chickpeas
50 g Sweet Corn
1 Stick of Celery
1/3 cucumber
1 tbsp Sunflower Seeds
1 tbsp Pumpkin Seeds
1 tbsp Cracked Black Pepper
1 clove of garlic
3 cloves
Pinch of Ground Nutmeg

Dressing

1 tsp Wholegrain mustard
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Tahine (optional)
1 tbsp Pomegranate Vinegar
2 tbsp Argan Oil
3 tbsp Linseed Oil
Ginger (the size of thumbnail)

Soak chickpeas overnight, rinse thoroughly, and place with a teaspoon of coarse sea salt, cloves, nutmeg, and gently crushed garlic clove in a large pot, or pressure cooker. Liquid should cover by 4 inches. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer gently, until chickpeas are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain. Transfer to a bowl. Remove cloves, garlic.
   Take a small sharp knife, using the pointed blade make an incision along the skin of the pomegranate, making sure not to go too deep. Repeat again as too make four even wedges. You may have to go deeper at the ‘poles’. Pull the skin apart from one of the ‘poles’; the seeds will fall without having lost their precious juice. The remaining seeds can be brushed gently with fingers, naked from the white bitter skin.
   Roughly dice cucumber and celery, place with the cooled chickpeas.
   Gently cut the goat cheese, which a wet sharp knife blade (to prevent cheese to crumble), and place slices flat on cracked black pepper on a greaseproof paper sheet, press gently if necessary, so that one side of goat cheese is nicely blackened (see picture above).
   Panfry ‘dry’ (5 minutes on medium-low heat without adding oil) or roast seeds (10 minutes – 160˙c), with a pinch of rock sea salt. Let to cool.
   For the dressing, place mustards and Tahine in a bowl, season with fine sea salt and black pepper, stir with a fork or a whisk. Add vinegar, and oils. Stir until you obtain a smooth creamy texture. Chop ginger very finely and stir into dressing.
   Just before serving, make sure to thoroughly wash baby spinach leaves (even if they are in a bag labelled ‘washed’), then place in a clean clothe to remove excess water. Pour dressing over vegetable and seeds mix, toss gently, place leaves in plates, and add dressed mix, and goat cheese.

Enjoy one of my most comforting salads.