RECIPE: Spanish style courgette and chickpea salad with baked hummus

A new blogger has joined the team this week.  Katie, of KatieDidOnline, specialises in recipes free of gluten, wheat, dairy soya or corn.  This week, she shares some delicious vegetarian sides with a spanish twist.

As the nights draw in, it’s nice to add warm sides to BBQ, grilled or baked meats. This warm side dish has a distinctively Spanish flavour and is great with pinchitos- a pork kebab typically served with tapas.  In fact this salad would make a great accompaniment to any tapas menu.

I love this dish along side hot pinchitos and served with a side of baked hummus. While not strictly Spanish, the warming, soft texture of the baked hummus works really well with this meal. I serve it with homemade Gluten Free flat bread, but it would go really well with pita, or crackers as well.

As with all of my recipes, this recipe can be made gluten & wheat free, dairy free, soya free and corn free so long as all the ingredients used are free of gluten, wheat, dairy, soya, and corn.*

Spanish style courgette and chickpea salad

Yield: serves 4 as a side

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium sized courgettes, sliced
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 roasted red pepper (optional), chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts to serve (optional)

In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the courgette, and sauté for two minutes to soften. Add the chickpeas, cumin, chilli powder, and garlic. Sauté until soft, roughly 10 minutes. Add roasted red peppers, salt and pepper. Cook for two minutes until heated through. Remove from heat, add the lemon juice, toss. Serve warm sprinkled with pine nuts.

Baked hummus

Yield: serves 4 as a side

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 10-20 minutes

• Container of hummus from the fridge section of your local store
• 2 teaspoons of chilli powder
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts (optional)

Spoon the hummus into two oven-safe glass or ceramic ramekins (small, round serving and baking dishes with a 3-4cm high rim), and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle a teaspoon of chilli powder over each, then top with the pine nuts. Bake at 350F/180C/Gas 4 until fragrant, small bubbles appear, and the edges start to turn a richer colour about 10-20 minutes. Serve with pita, pita chips, flat bread, rice crackers, or other GF crackers*.

You can also “bake” the hummus in the microwave on high for roughly 1-2 minutes, until it is done. The pine nuts are best pre-toasted for this method. Be sure to use a microwave safe dish. Enjoy! X

*Please note, the recipes and accompaniments are only gluten free, dairy free, soya free, and corn free if you choose ingredients which are free of gluten, dairy, soya, and corn. Learn or keep a list on hand of the names of common ingredients made from everything you avoid, and always read labels carefully. I urge you to read the label before putting it into your trolley, and again before you cook/eat it.