When I think back to our trip to Morocco, what I remember are the oranges. Insanely vivid, fresh, perfumey. I found these black garbanzos at our local co-op and invented this salad inspired by Morocco, with a lightly spicy dressing, fresh peppers, and oranges. I served this up on one of the beautiful little platters we brought home.
These teeny chickpeas, the other name for garbanzos, are dark brown rather than black, and about half the size of their tan cousins. After cooking them to a nicely tender state, I gave them some baby bell pepper slices to play with in the bowl, along with the tangerines.
The dressing has spicy Asian notes, appropriate for a country that’s at the crossroads of the world.
Ras el hanout is a spice mixture made up of cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ground chili peppers, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, peppercorn, and turmeric. Each blend is unique to the person making it. If you don’t have it in your cupboard, you can substitute Chinese five-spice powder.
I imagine a caravan of camels padding along, honing in on the next oasis, and seeing those orange trees up ahead. I’ve never seen oranges that color outside of Morocco.
All of our recipes are gluten-free, sugar-free, and made with plant-based ingredients to help you build a healthy life. Look for midweek posts on meditation, service, and life lessons, helping you create inner balance.
Moroccan black garbanzo, pepper, and orange salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpeas garbanzo beans, black or tan, dried
- 3 cups water (filtered or spring) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 3 bell peppers 3 baby or 1 large colored bell pepper
- 2 tangerines
- 2 slices ginger (fresh)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp dark toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey brown rice syrup
- 1 tbsp Bragg's liquid aminos (or tamari)
- 1/4 tsp ras el hanout Chinese five-spice powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Rinse the dried beans and check for any bruised, moldy beans or foreign objects like pebbles. See this Friday's post for more on cooking dried beans. Put in a large soup pot and cover with filtered water. Put on the lid and bring to a boil. Boil for five minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit 4-8 hours. Rinse.
- Put the beans back in the pot with 3 C. water or broth. Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 90 minutes until the beans are tender but not mushy. Black garbanzos have thicker, tougher skins than tan garbanzos. Rinse and drain well. Put into a large serving bowl.
- Wash the peppers and remove the core and seeds. Slice into thin strips and add to the serving bowl.
- Peel the tangerines and break up into sections, or get fancy and cut into supremes. Add them to the bowl, squeezing in a little extra juice.
- Using a garlic press, press the ginger slices into a small jar or bowl. Press the garlic clove into the same container, then add the rest of the dressing ingredients. Whisk together or shake together until blended. Pour over the salad and toss well. Taste and add salt.
Notes
- 100 calories
- 3 g fat
- 0 g saturated fat
- 0 g monounsaturated fat
- 0 g polyunsaturated fat
- 0 g trans fat
- 0 g cholesterol
- 309 mg sodium (88 mg sodium with salt omitted)
- 88 mg potassium
- 22 g carbohydrate
- 8 g fiber
- 5 g sugars
- 5 g protein
- 3 Weight Watchers Points Plus
I didn’t know there were black garbanzo beans. Beautiful salad.
Thanks Bonnie. I had never seen them before either, so I had to try them!
What a terrific shot – thanks for reminding me of the trip my pal and I impulsively took to Morocco when we were cold in rainy Lisbon – most exotic and memorable.
Wow Liz, an impulsive trip to Morocco… that’s a first! Yes we absolutely loved it. Although it was pretty rainy when we were there in February. But still wonderful, as was Lisbon.