Ontario Ambrosia Apples are the perfect apple to enjoy solo or to include in your cooking. They are a welcome crunchy, sweet addition to a salad - like this Chickpea Salad with Apples and Broccoli.
This post is sponsored by Ontario Ambrosia. Ambrosia apples are proudly grown in Ontario by Martin’s Family Fruit Farm and other apple growers in Ontario.
Is there anything you eat or drink every single day?
For me, it’s water (obviously), coffee (double obviously), eggs and crunchy apples. And not just any kind of crunchy apples, but Ambrosia apples.
So that meant I was thrown a bit of a curveball recently when I had to change up my eating routine due to some teeth-related stuff! And I’m sure you’re all keen to read about my teeth and orthodontic history but I promise to keep it brief!
As a teenager, I had braces and after 2 painful years, they finally came off and voila, straight teeth! But sure enough, as I got older some of my bottom teeth shifted once again and as a result, I had two teeth somewhat leaning on each other. Fast forward many years and it still annoyed me, so I opted for Invisalign. Thankfully, this was a much less painful process than braces but it did make my teeth very tender for about 12 months.
What does this have to do with water, coffee, eggs and apples? Good question! 3 of the 4 weren’t impacted in any way but I couldn’t eat apples the way I usually do - which is by simply eating them out of my hand. Not only did crunching down on an apples hurt a lot but it's not a great practice when your teeth are being re-aligned!
But, I wasn’t ready to give up apples just yet! So, I went back to my elementary school days and cut my apple into segments!
Cooking With Ambrosia Apples
Along the way of cutting up my Ambrosia apples, I remembered just how much I love incorporating apples into other parts of my day, specifically salads! Ambrosia apples add a delightful sweetness and a really great crunch to any salad. They're considered an "all-purpose" apple which makes them really versatile and easy to use in a lot of different dishes.
Did you know it’s actually a Canadian original apple, first grown in BC and now by Martin’s Family Fruit Farms and other apple growers in Ontario?
It’s also called “the Sweetheart” of all apple varieties for a reason. It is sweet, flavourful and very juicy. Ontario Ambrosia apples are, by nature, very firm, and crisp. They also store well in the fridge and don’t brown as quickly as other apple varieties. And because of its firmness, the Ambrosia apple holds up very well for baking, great in a grilled cheese sandwich and of course, just perfect on its own.
About This Chickpea Salad with Ambrosia Apples and Broccoli
My most favourite salad right now is a chickpea salad made with Ambrosia apples, broccoli, cucumber, red onion and a creamy dressing that contains hints of dill and paprika. It’s pretty similar to how I’d make a tuna salad but swapping in chickpeas for the tuna (you could call it a "mock" or "faux" tuna salad if you wanted!). Honestly, I prefer this version to a tuna salad. It’s hearty, delicious and has loads of texture.
This is a really easy salad to make - you can make the entire dish in one bowl and it's ready in minutes! You don't even need to make the dressing separately - just fold the dressing ingredients in with a spatula.
The Ambrosia apple adds sweetness and crunch, the broccoli florets add substance, (don't forget to grate the broccoli stems), the cucumber provides a simple, clean element and the red onion offers up a little bite. The key to the recipe is mashing the chickpeas with a fork. You don’t need to mash it all but you want to mash some of it to get the chickpea flavour throughout the salad.
The salad is vegetarian but you can easily adapt it to be vegan by using a vegan mayo and swapping out the honey mustard for plain mustard and some maple syrup.
- 1 can chickpeas 540 ml
- 1 Ambrosia apple – cubed
- ½ red onion – finely chopped (about ½ cup)
- 2 cups broccoli florets (about 1 broccoli crown)
- ½ cup of shredded broccoli stem (don't waste the stems when cutting your florets)
- 2 cups cucumber – cubed
- 1 cup of grape or cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 3 tablespoon mayo
- 1 tablespoon honey mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tablespoon of fresh dill finely chopped – or 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 tsp paprika
- Add the chickpeas to a large mixing bowl and mash lightly with a fork
- Add the remaining ingredients into the bowl and mix thoroughly with a spatula
- Enjoy immediately or best to leave in the fridge for a few hours so the flavours come together.
For more information about Ontario Ambrosia, be sure to follow them on Instagram or Facebook.
More Reading
- An Apple A Day: Over 60 Ways to Cook With Apples
- 5 Tips For Creating a Vegan and Allergen Friendly Snack Board with Martin's Apple Chips
- 10 Fun Ways to Use Healthy Apple Chips
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