I recently moved to Seattle, and while the hot summer days have been a pleasant surprise to me, I have definitely found myself in an unfamiliar predicament.
Due to typical weather conditions, it’s quite common for apartments here to not have AC. While the eco-conscious nerd in me may be cheering, the cook in me is melting. I live alone in a rather small apartment, so when I turn on the oven to cook or bake, my entire apartment too takes on the oven identity, and I end up roasting myself with along my veggies.
Something had to give. So I wracked my brain and suddenly remembered one of my favorite college day appliance-free STAPLES.

Recipe to be enjoyed…with or without AC.
Curried Chick-un Apple Salad
Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 0 mins! | Total Time: 15 mins
Makes: approx. 3 cups of salad
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 can of chickpeas
- 1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
- 1 Persian cucumber or 1/2 medium cucumber, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, chopped or shredded
- 3 Tbsp red onion, diced
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1 Tbsp curry powder
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Rinse the chickpeas and dump in a large bowl. With a fork or potato masher (but who really has a separate potato masher), smash at least half the chickpeas, leaving the rest in larger chunks for texture.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the greek yogurt, mustard, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper.
- Add this plus all the remaining chopped ingredients to the chickpeas and stir until combined. You can always adjust the spices and consistency with more/less greek yogurt to desired.
- ENJOY your chick-un salad scooped on salad, smashed on toast, wrapped up in a tortilla or as a tasty dip with crackers or chips.