Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Mediterranean chickpea salad – refreshing, hearty, filling, nutritious & packed with veggies. This salad is made by tossing freshly cooked chickpeas, crunchy and colourful red and green bell peppers, flavourful olives, crisp cucumbers and creamy feta cheese. The protein and fibre rich chickpeas and the colourful veggies are then infused with the flavourful lemon-parsley vinaigrette dressing. This healthy salad can be served as an appetizer or as a main course.

This is a recipe that I adapted from a food magazine Delish. I prepared this salad exactly as mentioned by the author Mackenzie Gore with subtle changes.

Ingredients:

For the salad:

Chickpeas (cooked)	2 cups
Cucumber (sliced)	1/2 cup
Red bell pepper (thinly sliced)	1/4 cup
Green bell pepper (thinly sliced)	1/4 cup
Red onion	1/2 cup
Olives	1/4 cup
Feta cheese	1/4 cup
Salt	to taste
Freshly ground pepper	to taste

For salad dressing:

Extra virgin olive oil	1/2 cup
White vinegar	1/4 cup
Lemon juice	1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon
Fresh parsley (chopped)	1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon
Crushed chillies /Red chilli flakes	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Freshly ground pepper	to taste

Instructions:

• Chickpeas – Soak the chickpeas overnight in water. Next day, pressure cook the chickpeas for 3 whistles. Drain the water. Cook the chickpeas well ahead of time. If you are short of time, after cooking the chickpeas, keep it refrigerated for 1/2 to 1 hour.
• Slice the veggies as shown in the picture.
• To make salad: Take a large bowl, toss all the ingredients listed under ‘for the salad’ – chickpeas, cucumber, red and green bell pepper, red onion, olives and feta cheese. Add salt and freshly ground pepper.

• To make lemon -parsley vinaigrette – Take a jar that has tightly fitted lid. Add all the ingredients listed under ‘for salad dressing’ – olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, parsley and crushed chilli. Close the jar with the lid tightly and shake it well. Now add salt and freshly ground pepper and mix well.

• Just before serving, dress the salad with the lemon-parsley vinaigrette.

Notes:

• If you do not have time to soak and cook the chickpeas, substitute it with canned chickpeas.
• Add more olive oil and lemon juice if the salad is too dry.