Warm summer days call for refreshing pulse salads.
Pulses may be associated with hearty stews, but chickpeas, lentils and beans also work brilliantly with vegetables, fish, cheese, eggs or fruit in salads. Add an aromatic dressing and you are in for a treat.
Nutritionally, pulses have many useful properties: they supply antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, fibre and plant protein. They can support fullness and glycogen replenishment as part of an appropriate diet. Regular pulse intake has been linked with better cardiovascular health.
They can also be locally produced, relatively sustainable and inexpensive. What more could you want?
We hope these salads inspire your own combinations. Let’s begin!
Lentil salad with fresh cheese, asparagus, raisins and cherry tomatoes
Ingredients:
- Lentils – 60 g (1 small glass)
- Wild asparagus – 100 g (1 bunch)
- Cherry tomatoes – 100 g (8 pieces medianas)
- Raisins – 15 g (1 small handful)
- Low-fat fresh cheese – 75 g (1 tub)
- Olive oil – 5 g (1 tablespoon)
- Table salt – 1 g (1 pinch)
- Black pepper – 1 g (1 pinch)
Method:
- Cook the lentils in water for approximately 30 minutes, or according to the packet, until tender.
- Meanwhile, griddle the asparagus with a little oil and salt.
- Crumble the cheese.
- Halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes.
- Combine cooked lentils, tomatoes, raisins and fresh cheese.
- Top with grilled asparagus and enjoy!
Kcal: 403 kcal (with these quantities)
Protein: 25% of calories
Carbohydrates: 59% of calories
Fat: 16% of calories
Lentils can support fullness through their fibre and plant-protein content. The food matrix also influences carbohydrate digestion and absorption.
Quinoa, chickpea, lamb’s lettuce, rocket, orange and pomegranate salad
Ingredients:
- Quinoa – 45 g (1 piece)
- Orange – 181 g (1 small bowl)
- Pomegranate – 75 g (1 small glass)
- Lamb’s lettuce – 45 g (1 piece)
- Rocket – 30 g (1 piece)
- Canned cooked chickpeas – 120 g (1 glass)
Method:
- Cook quinoa for 20 minutes, or according to the packet.
- Peel and prepare half an orange and half a pomegranate.
- Rinse and drain the required canned chickpeas.
- Drain the cooked quinoa and cool promptly for the salad.
- Combine lamb’s lettuce, rocket, quinoa, chickpeas, orange segments and pomegranate seeds.
- Add mint for freshness if desired.
Kcal: 403 kcal (with these quantities)
Protein: 17% of calories
Carbohydrates: 69% of calories
Fat: 14% of calories
Combining pulses, vegetables and fruit provides carbohydrates in an enjoyable, satisfying meal. Whether it is lower in energy depends on portions and ingredients; the calorie figure above describes the listed quantities.
Bean salad with orange vinaigrette
Ingredients:
- Red onion – 30 g (piece)
- Rocket – 30 g (small bag)
- Olive oil – 5 g (dessertspoon)
- Cooked white beans – 80 g
- Red pepper – 30 g
- Chives – 5 g
- Cider vinegar – 5 g
- Mustard – 3 g
- Fresh orange juice – 15 g
- Parsley – 2 g (pinch)
- Black pepper – 1 g (pinch)
- Table salt – 1 g (pinch)
Method:
- For the vinaigrette, finely chop and mix parsley, chives, orange juice, olive oil, cider vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper, or use a small food processor.
- Combine rinsed, drained beans, chopped red onion, chopped raw or roasted red pepper, rocket and the dressing.
- Toss well.
- Adjust salt if needed and serve.
Kcal: 202 kcal (with these quantities)
Protein: 18% of calories
Carbohydrates: 55% of calories
Fat: 27% of calories
Vinaigrettes add flavour to pulse salads. Citrus juice can provide vitamin C, which helps non-haem iron absorption; acidity alone does not mean a dressing contains vitamin C. Read Iron, oxygen and performance for more about this interaction.
Chickpea salad with spinach and roasted pumpkin
Ingredients:
- Canned cooked chickpeas – 100 g
- Spinach – 40 g
- Pumpkin – 120 g
- Balsamic vinegar – 5 g (dessertspoon)
- Table salt – 1 g (pinch)
- Olive oil – 5 g (dessertspoon)
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Peel and dice the pumpkin into medium-sized cubes.
- Roast with a little olive oil for 30–45 minutes, checking with a skewer. Keep the pieces tender but firm enough to hold their shape in the salad.
- Rinse and drain the chickpeas into a bowl.
- Add washed spinach.
- Cool the roasted pumpkin promptly and add to the bowl.
- Season with salt and balsamic vinegar and toss.
Kcal: 221 kcal (with these quantities)
Protein: 18% of calories
Carbohydrates: 47% of calories
Fat: 35% of calories
Chickpeas contain phospholipids, including lecithin. They contribute to a nutritious diet, but their presence does not establish that chickpeas always contain more lecithin than soya or act as a specific cholesterol or triglyceride treatment.
Oat, chickpea, sweet potato, sweetcorn, edamame and blueberry salad
Ingredients:
- Canned sweetcorn – 30 g
- Canned cooked chickpeas – 50 g
- Orange-fleshed sweet potato – 80 g (1 piece)
- Edamame – 30 g (1 small glass)
- Table salt – 1 g (pinch)
- Olive oil – 5 g (tablespoon)
- Blueberries – 15 g (1 small handful)
- Oats – 30 g (1 small glass)
- Cucumber – 40 g (1 piece)
Method:
- Cook suitable whole oat groats in a pressure cooker for around 20 minutes with a water-to-oat ratio of 4:1, following appliance and packet guidance.
- Dice the sweet potato and preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Drizzle with oil and roast for around 20–25 minutes, depending on cube size, until cooked.
- Boil the edamame for 3–6 minutes, or according to the packet, until cooked, then drain.
- Rinse and drain the canned chickpeas.
- Wash and dice the cucumber.
- Combine the ingredients, adding blueberries and drained canned sweetcorn.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve!
Kcal: 380Kcal (with these quantities)
Protein: 15% of calories
Carbohydrates: 62% of calories
Fat: 22% of calories
Cooked chickpeas provide protein, carbohydrate and minerals useful for recovery meals. For dried chickpeas, the original recipe suggests soaking for 6–10 hours; follow packet guidance and cook thoroughly. Rinse canned chickpeas if desired. Foam can reflect saponins and other compounds, but it is not by itself evidence that safely canned chickpeas are harmful or unable to provide minerals.
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