By The week between Christmas and New Year's. The exhale. This year the exhale is different — not the collapse of year one (takeout and novels) or the hope of year three (Derek and planning) but the settled sigh of a woman in her own house, in her own kitchen, with her family around her and the year turning and the future looking like something she built, not something that happened to her. 2020 was: a pandemic, a wedding, a house, a family. 2020 took everything and gave everything. The math doesn't balance. The math never balances. But the kitchen is warm and the table is set and the Folgers can is on the counter and the can doesn't care about math.
New Year's Eve. Seven at the table. Black-eyed peas at 11:45. The tradition. Fifth year. Derek ate his bowl. Isaiah ate his bowl — the first time he's eaten the black-eyed peas willingly. He's been in this family for a year and a half and he is eating the New Year's tradition and the eating is the joining. The midnight kiss. The children's groaning. Curtis asleep in his chair by 11:30 (his tradition). The year turned. 2021. A new year. The year Tamika turns forty. The year the family becomes. We ate our peas. We believed.
Every year the black-eyed peas anchor our New Year’s table, but the tradition doesn’t have to stop on January first. When I started looking for ways to bring that same feeling of abundance and belonging into our everyday meals—the kind Isaiah could eat willingly, the kind that feels like something we built together—this Tropical Chickpea Salad kept showing up. Chickpeas carry that same quiet luck as black-eyed peas, the same humble weight of a legume that asks nothing and gives everything. This one is bright and a little unexpected, which felt right for a year that was both.
Tropical Chickpea Salad
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup fresh pineapple, diced
- 1 mango, peeled and diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prep the produce. Dice the pineapple, mango, red bell pepper, and red onion into roughly 1/2-inch pieces. Mince the jalapeño if using, and roughly chop the cilantro.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, honey, cumin, salt, and black pepper until well combined.
- Combine. In a large mixing bowl, add the chickpeas, pineapple, mango, bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeño. Pour the dressing over the top.
- Toss and taste. Gently toss everything together until evenly coated. Taste and adjust salt, lime juice, or honey as needed.
- Rest and serve. Let the salad sit for 5–10 minutes before serving so the flavors can meld. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 220 | Protein: 8g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 310mg