Country:
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The Flexitarian - Eco-Retailer, Blogger

Annabelle Randles is the co-founder of eco-retailer By Nature and the inspiration behind the The Flexitarian blog, where she writes about food, ethics and the environment.

Born and bred in France, she has taken much of her culinary inspiration from her mother and grandmother and was raised on a omnivorous diet, which include both plant and animal foods. Following ‘discovering’ vegetarianism whilst she lived abroad, Annabelle’s attitude towards what I ate evolved. She became interested in the issues including animal welfare, modern farming and the impact of meat on the environment. Today, she says she hardly ever eats meat and doesn’t miss it.

Through the Flexitarian blog, Annabelle promotes the flexitarian diet as a solution for people who do not want to give up meat entirely yet feel that for health, ethics and/or environmental reasons have to eat less of it.

More from Annabelle Randles

On the Pulse Blog

Annabelle Randles Cooking

Aubergine Mango Salad with Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

Aubergine Mango Salad with Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

serving(s)
2 Person(s)
Preparation time
0 min
Cooking time
45m

Category
Gourmet Gurus, Mains
Cost
Cheap
Difficulty
Super easy

Ingredients

  • 2 medium aubergines (eggplants)
  • 1 large ripe mango
  • 400 g can chickpeas [14oz]
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • Olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove (crushed)
  • 2-3 tbsp fresh coriander leaves (finely chopped)
  • 2-3 tbsp fresh mint leaves (finely chopped)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
  2. Drain the chickpeas and pat them to dry before placing them in a roasting tin.
  3. Coat the chickpeas in 2 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp of smoked paprika.
  4. Place in the oven for 15-25 minutes (depending on the size of the chickpeas). Toss every 10 minutes so they are evenly crisp.
  5. While the chickpeas are roasting, heat some olive oil in a large frying pan. Cut aubergines in 1.5cm dice and fry them evenly.
  6. Make the dressing in a separate bowl by mixing together 1 tbsp. olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sugar, lime juice and crushed garlic clove.
  7. Peel and dice the mango in a salad bowl. When ready, add the aubergines to the diced mango.
  8. Add the chopped fresh coriander and mint leaves followed by roasted chickpeas. Pour the salad dressing and toss everything together before seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe notes

This vegan aubergine (eggplant in the US) and mango salad was inspired by both Yotam Ottolenghi’ s Soba noodles with aubergine and mango (from Plenty) and Smitten Kitchen’s Carrot Salad With Crisped Chickpeas. Roasted chickpeas make a delicious snack on their own and add a bit of crisp (and spice) to this salad. Feel free to adjust the amount of smoked paprika to suit your taste.