Chopped Rainbow Salad
Chopped Rainbow Salad
Chopped salads are eaten in many of the world's countries. The salad ingredients may vary, but what they have in common is they are all chopped into bite-sized pieces. Today's salad is also colorful and nutritious. It includes green lettuce and celery, purple-red cabbage, orange carrots, red apples and cherry tomatoes, dried black currants, creamy white provolone cheese, and chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Toss everything with a pretty red wine vinaigrette, and you have a crunchy, delicious, and satisfying rainbow of a salad that can be served as a side or a main dish!
Happy & Healthy Cooking,
Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills
- chop :
to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.
- dice :
to cut foods into small pieces of equal size so that the food is cooked evenly or looks uniform and pleasant when used in the recipe.
- knife skills :
Bear Claw (growl), Pinch, Plank, and Bridge (look out for trolls).
- toss :
to lightly lift and drop food items together or coat food items with flour, or a sauce or dressing, as in a salad.
- whisk :
to beat or stir ingredients vigorously with a fork or whisk to mix, blend, or incorporate air.
Equipment Checklist
- Large salad bowl
- Cutting board
- Kid-safe knife
- Liquid measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
- Stand blender or immersion blender (optional)
- Grater (optional)
- Can opener
- Tongs or salad servers
Ingredients
Chopped Rainbow Salad
- Vinaigrette
- 1 medium shallot
- 1/4 C red wine vinegar
- 1/2 C extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 T honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- Salad
- 1 romaine lettuce heart
- 1/2 red cabbage head
- 2 large Fuji apples
- 1 pear
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 handful cherry tomatoes
- 8 oz provolone cheese **(Omit for DAIRY ALLERGY or sub dairy-free/nut-free cheese, like Daiya brand)**
- 1 handful dried currants
- 1/2 15-oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
Food Allergen Substitutions
Chopped Rainbow Salad
- Dairy: Omit provolone cheese or substitute dairy-free/nut-free cheese, like Daiya brand.
Instructions
Chopped Rainbow Salad
dice + pour + whisk
Let's make the vinaigrette first! Have kids dice 1 medium shallot into very small pieces and add them to your biggest salad bowl. Next, have kids measure and add 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, and 1 tablespoon honey to the shallots. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 pinch of black pepper and whisk everything together until nice and thick. Add more salt and pepper to taste as you wish. Let the dressing sit in the bowl while you make the rest of the salad to let the flavors marry (i.e., get all yummy!).
tip
If your kids have a difficult time getting the shallots into small bits, you can add all of the salad dressing ingredients to your blender and blend on high until creamy and thick, then add the dressing to the bottom of the big salad bowl!
chop + chop + sprinkle
Now, it's salad time! Have kids chop 1 romaine lettuce heart, 1/2 red cabbage head, 2 large Fuji apples, 1 pear, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 handful of cherry tomatoes, and 8 ounces provolone cheese. Add everything to the big salad bowl. Sprinkle 1 handful of dried currants and 1/2 can of drained chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Toss the salad together with the vinaigrette at the bottom of the salad bowl and enjoy!
Hi! I’m Chickpea!
"Hmmm, I think I would like you to call me a Chickpea, not a garbanzo bean. Aren't little chicks so cute! You're probably familiar with me if you've ever eaten hummus. It's made with chickpeas! I'm a cute little seed that, when you combine a bunch of us, we can provide an excellent source of protein in your diet!"
History & Etymology
- Chickpeas are a high-protein legume and the main ingredient in many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes. They may also be called garbanzo beans.
- Evidence of domesticated chickpeas from about 9,500 years ago has been found in Turkey and the Levant (an area bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Western Asia).
- The word "chickpeas" comes from the early 18th century, and earlier was "chiche-pease," which came from late Middle English "chiche," from the Middle French "pois chiche," from the Latin "cicer."
- The word "garbanzo" is Spanish for "chickpea," and the word "hummus" is Arabic for "chickpea."
Anatomy
- A chickpea is a round, yellow-tan seed that grows in pods on a legume plant that can grow from 8 to 20 inches high. One pod holds two to three seeds.
- Chickpeas are grown around the world, and there are dozens of varieties, including a black one from southern Italy called "ceci neri."
How to Pick, Buy, & Eat
- Chickpeas taste like a bean, but they also have a nutty flavor, and their texture, when cooked, is described as soft and creamy or buttery. For Middle Eastern dishes, dried chickpeas are often boiled and mashed to make hummus, or they are soaked and then ground into flour to make falafels.
- You can add cooked or canned chickpeas to salads, roasted veggies, soups, stews, pasta, or rice dishes.
- You can also roast chickpeas and eat them as a snack. In the Middle East, roasted chickpeas are called "leblebi."
Nutrition
- Chickpeas provide almost 9 grams of protein in a 3.5-ounce serving. They are available either dried or canned. Because they are high in protein, chickpeas are often added to animal and bird feed.
- Chickpeas have loads of dietary fiber! So what is fiber good for? Smooth digestion! It helps the body absorb the vitamins and nutrients it needs to be strong and healthy.
- Chickpeas are also good sources of folate (vitamin B9), manganese, phosphorus, and iron.
What is a Chopped Salad?
- Many countries have their version of a chopped salad. They may have varying ingredients, but the one thing they have in common is bite-sized, chopped pieces of lettuce, vegetables, or both. The salads are often dressed with a vinaigrette.
- Some countries and regions where you can find chopped salads are the Mediterranean, Mexico, Lebanon, Italy, Israel, Iran, Brazil, Armenia, and the United States.
- A Cobb salad is a type of chopped salad named after the owner of the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant in California. It includes chopped salad greens, tomatoes, bacon, chicken breast, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, blue cheese, and chives with a wine vinaigrette.
Let's Learn about the Mediterranean Region!
- The Mediterranean region, also known as the Mediterranean Basin or Mediterranea, is the land around or in the Mediterranean Sea, the world's largest enclosed sea. This area covers part of the African, Asian, and European continents.
- The countries in this region are Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestine, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey. Cyprus and Malta are island nations in the Mediterranean Sea.
- The region generally has a Mediterranean climate, consisting of mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers.
- It has the world's largest region of Mediterranean forests, scrublands, and woodlands. Some of the trees endemic (native) to the area include the Aleppo pine, bay laurel, holm or evergreen oak, Mediterranean cypress, strawberry tree, and terebinth.
- Food crops grown in the region include citrus fruit, dates, figs, grapes, legumes, olives, and wheat.
- The Mediterranean region is known for its climate and cuisine and is very popular with tourists.
The Yolk's On You
Time flies like an arrow.
But fruit flies like vinegar.
That's Berry Funny
What is a mother hen’s favorite plant in the garden?
The Chickpea!
The Yolk's On You
Why did the rooster blush?
Because it saw a chickpea!
Lettuce Joke Around
What did the policeman say to the suspect?
You have the right to romaine silent.
That's Berry Funny
What are twins' favorite fruit?
Pears!
Lettuce Joke Around
What can a whole apple do that half an apple can't do?
It can look round.
THYME for a Laugh
Why did the tomato blush?
Because he saw the salad dressing!
THYME for a Laugh
Why are celery stalks never lonely?
Because they come in bunches!
