So…. seemingly out of the blue; I decided to host “Chickpea Week” on the blog! My first ever themed week kicked off and my social platforms are on their third consecutive day of chickpea-everything! There is a parade of hearty salads that feel & fuel you like a meal, as well as one-bowl easy desserts that use chickpeas and nut butter as their prime form of “flour”. You won’t believe the versatility in this tiny little legume that, well, can pretty much accomplish anything!
Now let’s get to this cooling and super refreshing “Cucumber Chickpea Salad” that caused waves one month ago when I shared the unassuming little recipe on Instagram. I saw more remakes stem from this plant-protein powered salad than from any other salad I’ve ever shared. I also got a lot of questions- as to substitutions and why it’s not on the blog yet. I want this website to become an online repository, or a quick, one-stop-shop of what to make for dinner tonight. I hear you, friends. I’m adding it to the blog; and will expand a bit more on it.
Growing up, dad used to have a cucumber and tomato salad literally EVERY single day. And as good as a cucumber and tomato salad sounds, there’s no protein in it. Zero. Mind you; this wasn’t his main- he used to enjoy it as a side salad with whatever else he was eating. But he ate it during lunch time day in, and day out. By doing minor tweaks to that dill-y-, olive oil based vinaigrette and adding chickpeas, red onion, avocados & feta- we have a winner!
The feta suggestion is completely optional- still vegetarian if you do add it, but no longer vegan. Side note: I tried both; making and buying vegan feta and the verdict is: it’s pretty gross. Stay away from it, kids. I am brutally honest in my pursuit of health and wellness and when something is not as good as it’s made out to be, I’ll be the the first to call it out. Don’t mess with my feta; it’s my favorite kind of cheese.
What I like about this salad is that it’s super customizable and if you’re not vegan, you can add your fave protein, too!
- grilled chicken (lemongrass flavors work beautifully with this salad!)
- oven-baked Tamari & Maple Salmon
- lemon pepper canned tuna
- firm, grilled peanut satay tofu!
- Greek, goat-milk feta
- Grilled Halloumi Cheese
So go ahead, and give it a try! It’s ready in a whim, wows a crowd, and everyone goes for seconds! Not to mention, you’ll achieve kitchen rock star status on minimal effort.
Chickpea Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- handful of fresh, rough chopped dill
- 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1/4 tsp of black pepper
Salad Base
- 2 cans of organic, low-sodium chickpeas
- 1 small cucumber, sliced!
- 1/2 cup red onions pickled in white vinegar & sea salt! You could add raw sugar to the brine.
- 2 avocados, cubed into chunks
Instructions
Pour the dressing over the salad base ingredients right before serving. Don’t do it too far in advance; to keep it as fresh as possible. Because this salad doesn’t have any leafy greens i.e. spinach, kale or lettuce; wilting won’t occur. *Avocados may blacken, so I cut them up right before serving, too! Great salad to bring to a picnic, BBQ or potluck gathering!
By: Aleyda | The Dish On Healthy
