Since this summer has been pretty hot and sticky so far, I have been trying to make as many “cooling” recipes as I can. This has been mostly a variety of salads and sandwiches, using many fresh ingredients and bright flavours. Some of the recent cool summer recipes I’ve made include Strawberry Crostini & Fruity Spinach Salad. Definitely check those out!

Today’s recipe is another perfect dish for a hot day! This is a super fresh and colourful chickpea salad. The chickpeas are packed with protein and so they are great to have on hand. I’ve combined those with fresh vegetables, feta cheese and a simple Greek dressing.

When it comes to salads, I love to have a variety of textures and flavours. Here, I used cucumber, tomato and radish which are mostly crunchy but the tomato is a little softer. Those vegetables contrast nicely with the firm but almost creamy chickpeas. To take it a step further, I added some crumbled feta cheese which packs some good salty flavour. I also mixed in some mint because fresh herbs make everything better.

The dressing was very basic with some classic Greek flavours. The base is olive oil and apple cider vinegar, but I added lots of flavour with salt, pepper, chili flakes, oregano and dijon mustard. I also added a bit of honey to balance some of the acidity. This is a delicious dressing that you could use on any salad, it would pair with any vegetables or even a pasta salad.

If you wanted to bulk up this salad to make it feed a crowd, you could add a few cups of cooked pasta (will probably have to double the dressing) or some cooked quinoa. Those would also just be good options to turn this salad into more of a meal.

Ingredients:

• 19oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup each: chopped tomato, radish, cucumber
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled (vegan/DF: omit feta)
• 1 tbsp mint, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp honey (vegan: substitute maple syrup)
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/8 tsp each: salt, pepper, chili flakes

Directions:

1. In large bowl, toss together chickpeas, tomato, radish and cucumber. Gently stir in feta cheese and mint. Set aside.
2. In small bowl or measuring cup, combine all remaining ingredients. Pour over salad and stir until everything is fully coated.
3. Serve immediately.