Pizza Salad with Pepperoni Chickpeas

15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp. avocado oil

1 Tbsp. fennel seeds

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. kosher salt

For the salad:

1 store-bought Caesar salad kit

3-4 large handfuls of baby spinach

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes

1 can large black olives

2 green bell peppers

1/4-1/2 red onion (depending on size)

Extra grated parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Prepare the pepperoni spice blend for the chickpeas: place fennel seeds, garlic powder, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, and kosher salt in a spice (or coffee) grinder, and pulse until fennel seeds are finely ground. (See notes.)
3. Dry the rinsed chickpeas very well, and then place in a bowl. Toss with avocado oil, then half of the spice blend. (See notes.) Spread seasoned evenly chickpeas on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven for 25-27 minutes, tossing once halfway through.
4. While the chickpeas are roasting, prepare your salad:
5. Start with the lettuce from the Caesar salad kit as the base in a large bowl.
6. Roughly chop the baby spinach leaves, and add to the bowl.
7. Remove the seeds from the green bell peppers, and cut into strips or large dice, and add to the bowl.
8. Thinly slice the red onion, and add to the bowl.
9. Drain the black olives, slice in half, and add to the bowl.
10. Slice cherry or grape tomatoes in half, then add to the bowl.
11. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs/croutons from the salad kit.
12. Let the roasted chickpeas cool for a few minutes before adding them to the top of the salad.
13. Serve the salad with extra parmesan and dressing on the side. This allows people to add as much or as little dressing as the like. And, the undressed salad will keep in the fridge for an extra day or two (yay lunch!).

Notes:

• If you do not have a spice or coffee grinder, you can crush the fennel seeds using a mortar and pestle. Or, if you don’t have either of these tools, place them in a plastic sandwich bag and smash them with something heavy on a hard surface. It’s okay if they’re still in fairly large pieces, we just need to break them down enough to release their oils and flavor.
• This spice mixture makes enough for two batches of chickpeas. You can either use ALL of the spice blend on two cans of chickpeas right away, or reserve the other half of the spice blend for another batch later. If you only use half of the spice blend, place the remaining spices in an airtight container for later - it will keep for a few weeks. (If you can wait that long!)