Curried Chickpea & Lentil Salad with Wild Greens

This spring started out dry, but the tansy mustard came up faithfully, covering my yard and popping up in spots throughout town. It got me thinking about workhorse greens—those abundant, useful, nutritious plants that are easy to gather in quantity, but not necessarily spectacular by themselves. I like turning them into something flavorful and satisfying, without asking them to carry the dish on their own.

This curried chickpea and lentil salad is designed for the wild greens you have on hand. Mild greens like creeping bellflower, lamb’s quarters, orache, mallow, violet leaves, and dandelion flowerheads can be used generously. Mustard greens like tansy mustard, tumblemustard, shepherd’s purse, and dame’s rocket can work too—just taste first, using the milder ones in bulk and the stronger-flavored ones as a smaller proportion of the recipe. Chop the wild greens fine so they blend evenly into the salad.

The chickpeas and lentils make it filling, while the apple, toasted nuts, and sweet lemon-curry dressing balance the wild greens with crunch, brightness, and familiar flavors. It’s a practical recipe for making good use of whatever edible greens are growing around you.

Curried Chickpea & Lentil Salad with Wild Greens

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1½ cups cooked)
• 1 cup green lentils, cooked al dente (about ½ cup dry)
• 1½ cups fine-chopped wild greens (mild greens, or include a smaller amount of strong greens)
• 1/2 cup fine-chopped celery
• 1/2 cup fine-chopped apple
• 1/2 cup fine-chopped red bell pepper
• 2 Tbsp fine-chopped oniony greens: feral garlic, Egyptian onion, chives, green onions
• 4 Tbsp toasted seeds, fine-chopped: pumpkin, sunflower, and/or cashews
• 3 Tbsp fine-chopped cilantro (or parsley)

Dressing

• 3 Tbsp tahini
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 4 Tbsp water
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp date sugar
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Drain and rinse chickpeas. In a large bowl, lightly mash them, leaving most whole.
2. Add lentils, celery, apple, red bell pepper, garlic greens, fresh herbs, wild greens, and seeds/nuts.
3. Make dressing: Whisk together tahini, lemon juice, water, curry powder, turmeric, garlic powder, cumin, and date sugar. Season with salt and black pepper.
4. Toss everything together, taste, and adjust as desired. (More lemon is sometimes needed.)

This recipe is part of my Healthy & Wild series—all plant-based, with no refined sugar or oil.