That time I threw a crispy snack on top of my summer salad

I have been playing around with variations on seasoned, crispy chickpeas as a snack. Keen to avoid deep-frying them, I tried baking them several ways – at different temperatures for long and longer stretches of time. But it was ultimately a 10-minute sizzle in a skillet with olive oil that won me over as the preferred method.

This technique gives the legume a creamier interior while crisping the outside to an addictive crunch, and the quick cooking time means they could be made on a whim, which is a plus when it comes to snacks, and especially ones like these which are best eaten hot.

I experimented with seasoning for them as well, enjoying them with a sweet-spicy mix of brown sugar and chili powder, with smoked paprika and garlic, and with the Middle Eastern-accented version in this recipe: a mixture of cumin, coriander and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

When I first made these, as I munched away on them from the snack bowl, I couldn’t help but think about how they had the essential elements of a falafel, and how good they would be as a protein-rich layer of crunch in a salad. So I built this salad around them. Its base is the crisp lettuce, tomato, cucumber and red onion that are often piled on top of a falafel sandwich, and it is dressed with the sandwich’s classic lemon-tahini dressing. The aromatically spiced crispy chickpeas that are the salad’s inspiration are tossed in at the end.

Enjoy it as a starter or side with whatever you might be grilling this time of year, or as part of a mezze spread, or double the portion and have it as a main course with warm pita.

Salad With Crispy Spiced Chickpeas and Tahini Dressing

6 servings

This salad gets its inspiration from the elements that fill a falafel sandwich, with warm, crunchy, cumin-spiced chickpeas, crisp lettuce, cucumber, tomato and red onion in a lemon-tahini dressing.

Enjoy it as a starter or as part of a mezze spread, or double the portion and have it as a main course with some warm pita.

From nutritionist and cookbook author Ellie Krieger.

• For the dressing

3 tablespoons tahini, well stirred

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• For the salad

2 hearts of romaine lettuce, shredded (about 7 cups)

1/2 English cucumber, quartered and sliced

1 cup halved grape tomatoes

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Pinch ground cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

One 15-ounce can no-salt-added chickpeas

2 tablespoons olive oil

For the dressing. Whisk the tahini, water and lemon juice together in a medium bowl, until creamy and well blended. Stir in the parsley, salt and black pepper.

For the salad: Toss the lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and red onion together in a large bowl.

Combine the cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper and salt in a small bowl.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then dry them as thoroughly as possible by placing them on top of a paper towel in a bowl and patting them dry with an additional paper towel. Remove and discard any skins that fall off, but don’t worry about getting them all.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking or stirring occasionally until they have crisped and become lightly browned. Stir in the spice mixture and toss to coat, then transfer the chickpeas to a plate.

Add the dressing to the salad and toss to incorporate, then toss in the chickpeas and serve.

Per serving: 220 calories, 9 g protein, 26 g carbohydrates, 10 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 210 mg sodium, 8 g dietary fiber, 5 g sugar