Name: Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 5 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil; 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 ½ - 2 lemons); ½ of a small garlic clove, pressed; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper; 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 12-ounces sweet ripe cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved; 1 hothouse cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped out, cut into ½-inch dice; 4 ounces of good quality feta cheese cut into ½-inch dice; ½ of a small red onion, thinly sliced; 4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves plus a few whole leaves or springs to garnish; 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

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This Mediterranean Chickpea Salad sparkles with bright fresh flavors of lemon and herbs. Canned chickpeas are tossed with fresh veggies, herbs, feta and lemon vinaigrette. This salad is a fantastic summer staple to serve as a light vegetarian lunch or as a side salad for picnics, dinner parties and barbecues. It's an easy salad to throw together and it goes with virtually everything.

Do you sometimes find it’s the little unexpected things that make the biggest impressions? Maybe it’s the element of surprise that creates a bookmark in our brains? Anyway, a few months ago, while seated at a Bordeaux brasserie with friends, waiting for our dinner, a small complimentary bowl of chickpeas arrived at our table and I've been thinking about them ever since.

We were starved from an overly ambitious day of sightseeing and my tummy and taste buds were geared up for the rich chicken bordelaise over mashed potatoes that had I ordered. I wasn’t overly excited by the chickpeas so, with no expectations other than to alleviate my hunger, I spooned some chickpeas onto my little plate and had a taste. Those chickpeas were so surprisingly good. So was the chicken bordelaise. But it’s the chickpeas that have stayed on my mind, tender and savory with slivers of red onion, in a light lemony dressing flecked with fresh mint.

That little bowl of minty chickpeas with red onion was the inspiration for this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and feta, which has become a favorite in our house.

Here's what I love about this salad:

It's quick and easy to prepare: There's no cooking involved. It will take you 20-30 minutes, depending on your slicing and dicing skills.
There's a high healthiness factor: loads of fresh veggies and nutritious chickpeas
It's versatile: make it vegan by leaving out the feta, use your favorite combo of herbs, throw in cubed avocado or fresh corn kernels....
Most importantly, it's delicious!

HOW TO MAKE MEDITERRANEAN CHICKPEA SALAD

Combine chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, basil and mint in a big bowl.
Whisk up the dressing, which consists of good quality extra virgin olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, salt, pepper and a touch of garlic.
Toss the vegetables, herbs and cheese with dressing 15-20 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

This Mediterranean chickpea salad makes a lovely light vegetarian lunch with warm pita and hummus on the side.
It's lovely scooped onto a bed of lightly dressed greens
Or stuff it into warm pita with a dollop of plain yogurt or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or both.
I especially love serving this salad as a side dish with roast chicken, fish, beef or anything grilled.

Here's the recipe for Mediterranean Chickpea Salad. If you try this recipe I hope you'll come back to leave a comment and a star rating. I'd love to know what you think!

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