If you’re a woman in your 50s trying to eat more protein without choking down another dry chicken breast, this chickpea salad is going to become your new best friend. Chickpeas are a plant-based protein powerhouse, and this chickpea salad comes together in about 10 minutes flat.
God designed food to work with your body, not against it. This little recipe does exactly that.
Why Chickpeas?
Chickpeas — also called garbanzo beans or chana dal — pack around 15 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber per cup. For women in their 50s, that combination does a lot of good work. Fiber feeds the good bacteria in your gut. Protein helps you hold on to muscle mass. And both help keep your blood sugar steady so you’re not raiding the pantry at 3 in the afternoon.
What You’ll Need
Use organic ingredients wherever possible.
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or chana dal)
- ¼ cup chopped celery
- ¼ cup chopped carrots
- ⅛ cup red onion or scallions, to taste
- 1 tablespoon Veganaise (or your preferred organic mayo)
- 1 teaspoon spicy or Dijon Mustard
- 1 tablespoon sweet relish
- 1 teaspoon fresh dill
- Dash or 1/4 tsp each of cumin and coriander
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to Make It
Mash the chickpeas with a fork until they’re mostly broken down — you want some texture, not baby food. Mix in everything else. That’s it. Done.
Serve it on a bed of lettuce, tucked into a whole grain wrap, or scooped onto crackers.
Here’s my favorite on-the-go trick: spoon it into romaine lettuce leaves or Chinese cabbage leaves and roll them up like little wraps. No utensils. No mess. Just grab and go.
Nutrition (per serving, makes 4)
Approximate macros per serving:
- Calories: ~175
- Protein: ~8g
- Carbohydrates: ~25g
- Fat: ~5g
- Fiber: ~6g
Macros are estimates based on standard ingredient amounts. They will vary slightly depending on your specific brands.
A Note If Carbs Don’t Sit Right With You
Many women in their 50s are carbohydrate intolerant and don’t even know it. Bloating, gas, that heavy feeling after a meal — chickpeas are healthy, but if your body isn’t making enough digestive enzymes, even good food can cause trouble.
If that sounds familiar, you may need a digestive enzyme to help your body break down the complex carbs in chickpeas properly. This is more common than most people realize, and it’s very fixable.
You can browse my enzyme recommendations directly in my Fullscript account — or if you’re not sure where to start, book a free 30-minute health screening call with me and we’ll figure out what your body actually needs.
The Bottom Line
This salad is cheap, fast, and actually keeps you full. If your digestion has been sluggish or you’re trying to figure out how to get more protein without meat at every single meal, give this one a try.
And if you’re wondering why your gut isn’t responding the way it should even when you’re eating things like this — I’d love to help you dig into that. Book a free 30-minute health screening call with me and let’s take a look at what’s going on. Your body was made to work well. Sometimes it just needs a little support getting back there.
