It was crunch time… about 5:15 and I needed a side dish to serve with the grilled orange roughy Keith was so painstakingly cooking out on the deck. I like to think of myself as an organized, prepared person, but somehow the planning for tonight’s menu went south.
I had chick peas and several veggies. I wasn’t in the mood for my usual chick pea and carrot salad, with raisins and curry. After perusing the internet for a bit, I found several recipes that had a more Mediterranean flavor, so with that inspiration in mind, and Molly’s easy dressing philosophy, I set off for the kitchen, and this is what resulted:
Mediterranean Chick Pea Salad
Ingredients:
Microwave the onion for 1 minute in olive oil (I probably used 2 tablespoons), and then toss that with the chick peas, tomatoes, and olives. Sprinkle with red wine vinegar to taste; I probably uses 2-3 tablespoons.
Once you’ve gotten the perfect balance of tang for your taste buds, toss in some feta and serve on a bed of greens.
Variations
If I had roasted peppers, they would have gone into the recipe, no doubt. And if I weren’t so determined to create a chick pea salad different from the carrot one, I would probably have added dried currants as well (to close to raisins for my taste that night, I guess).
This recipe was so easy and amazingly delicious. I was glad to have chosen the flavors I did — this chick pea salad hit the spot. One little tip — it was even tastier the next day as leftovers, because it got warmed with the fish. A little heat brought out the flavors and melded them to perfection.
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Apr 07, 2009 @ 14:00 EST5EDT
I have a version of this that uses most of the ingredients you listed above minus the kalamata olives and using lemon juice instead of vinegar. I think the olives can only boost the flavor level up a notch so next time I make it, I’ll definitely add the kalamata. Thanks for the suggestion!
Darlene W.