Another big salad- this time, with Indian flavors!

Credit for last night's dinner really goes to Alysha over at The Savory Notebook. It was her photo of the salad that really made me want to try it! And, as my fridge is bursting with spinach and my copy of A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen is ever-handy, I made Spinach and Arugula Salad with Indian-Spiced Chickpeas and Charred Red Onions.

I have to say that when I actually read the recipe, I had my doubts. I find that too much cumin seed can be overwhelming, and I'm not a fan of mustard seed for the most part. Garlic, cumin, mustard, mint, lime... I was a little worried there might be too much going on in the flavor department. But my worries proved unfounded- this salad was a treat. The flavors blend beautifully and the chickpeas make it a filling entree. We served it with naan that I brushed with garlic butter and sprinkled with cilantro before wrapping it in foil to warm in the oven. Even Ryan liked the salad- I think the sweet charred onions were his favorite, but he also ate the chickpeas and spinach. And a lot of naan.

I did have to make some changes to the recipe. My salad was all spinach- no arugula this week. And it turned out I was out of mustard seed- as soon as I opened the cupboard to look for them, I remembered using them all up in what turned out to be a much-hated recipe for black bean chili with mushrooms and mustard seeds. (I think that recipe called for something like 1/2 cup of mustard seed- oh, it was so awful. Other people who made the chili raved about it- we couldn't eat it.) Anyway- no mustard seed, so I doubled the cumin.

We'll definitely be making this again. I'll even try it with the mustard seed- if I ever get around to buying more.

Spinach and Arugula Salad with Indian-Spiced Chickpeas and Charred Red Onions