Sweetgreen Inspired Curry Chickpea Bowl
The salad that launched a thousand Venmos.
I never wanted to like Sweetgreen, the eco-conscious, good for you salad chain that has taken the millennial world by storm. Sweetgreen devotees describe their addiction as if they were talking about donuts and I was determined to not fall prey to the craze. Well, after one bite of their Curry Chickpea Bowl, I too have now drunk the Sweetgreen agave Kool-Aid. I know what you’re thinking, it’s a salad — how good could it be? Sweetgreen doesn’t just make salads, they make these multi-layered and highly flavored concoctions that make you feel good about what you’re putting into your body and the garbage you’re keeping out of the landfills. It’s a combo that is simply too hard to resist and I’m not alone — go to any Sweetgreen around lunchtime and you’ll see a line out the door. And while there are certainly far worse things than a salad addiction, the habit at $13-$15 a bowl is a pricey one. My friend suggested I learn how to make their salads at home and sent me some online recipes for inspiration. My reply back to her was incredulous, “I can’t just make my own Sweetgreen salad! What am I, a wizard?” But the idea stuck with me and I thought….hmmmm…maybe this might be worth a try. After all, I am a Master Sommelier with a highly trained palate and if I can learn how to make a babka, why can’t I reverse engineer a salad?
I did some tinkering and research and came up with my own version of the Curry Chickpea Bowl. This was my gateway Sweetgreen salad so that’s the one I’m starting with and my replica gets pretty darn close to the real thing — minus the compostable bowl and fork. Sweetgreen lists the use of umami seasoning in a lot of their items. It’s a mix of garlic, onion and chili powder along with nutritional yeast (you can find it in the health food section of your grocery store or the aisle with all of the salt, herbs and seasonings). You can certainly skip the umami seasoning if you don’t want to add more items to your pantry but it does add that distinct savoriness that keeps you coming back for more.
The recipe makes enough for 4 salads.
UMAMI SEASONING
3 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
1/2 tsp powdered onion
1/2 tsp powdered garlic
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp chili powder
Mix all the ingredients and rub together with your fingers until well incorporated. This makes more than you will need for this recipe but you can store the remainder in a sealed container for future use.
SEASONED CHICKPEAS (makes enough for 4 salads)
1 tablespoon neutral oil
1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas (drained with all but 2 tablespoons of reserved liquid)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp umami seasoning
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Heat oil in a medium-sized skillet until shimmering, add cumin and stir for 30 seconds taking care not to burn it. Reduce the heat to medium, add the chickpeas with reserved cooking liquid along with the remaining ingredients (except the cilantro). Cook for 3-4 minutes until the liquid is absorbed (add a little water if the chickpeas are sticking to the pan). Remove pan from the heat and finish the chickpeas with fresh cilantro.
CURRY YOGURT DRESSING
1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 tsp diced jalapeno (add more if you want it spicier)
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp umami seasoning
Blend everything with a handheld immersion blender or a regular blender until smooth and well emulsified. Makes 1 1/4 cups and will keep in a sealed container for up to a week.
PUT IT ALL TOGETHER
2 cups baby spinach
3 oz diced cooked chicken breast (store-bought rotisserie chicken works well or make your own by baking 2 chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper at 400 degrees until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees, about 20-25 minutes).
1/4 cup cooked quinoa (prepared according to package directions. I start with 1/2 cup dry quinoa which makes enough for 4 salads)
1/4 cup seasoned chickpeas
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup shredded cabbage
1 tablespoon raisins
few sprigs of fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons toasted almonds
curry yogurt dressing to taste (I go heavy with mine)
Mix it all together with the curry yogurt dressing and enjoy. And of course if a certain ingredient doesn’t appeal to you or you want more of something else, just customize it to how you like it. If you’re packing this for work, put the dressing in a separate container and add it when you’re ready eat.
