Chickpea Salad

Recipe by guest author, Heather Forsyth.

Chickpeas must be in the air (visualize whirled peas?!?) as I keep running across recipes for them.  This recipe is a variation on one in which chickpeas were pan fried with leeks, garlic and curry powder, then combined with yogurt and cilantro.  In this version, I oven-roasted the beans with a little olive oil and salt, then added mint, parsley, lemon, cumin and feta for a salad with sort of a falafel (chickpea fritter) taste, but without the grease.  I’ve put the amounts of herbs and seasonings that I used as a guide, but this is definitely a recipe you’ll want to taste and adjust to your liking.  Other variations might include adding a few sliced black olives or cherry tomatoes.

Chickpea Salad

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  1 - 15 oz. can chick peas

  
  
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  2 T. olive oil

  
  
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  Sea salt

  
  
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  ¼ c. each chopped fresh parsley and mint

  
  
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  2 T. finely chopped red onion

  
  
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  1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

  
  
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  Zest of ½ lemon

  
  
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  ½ t. cumin, or more, to taste

  
  
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  2-4 T. yogurt, to taste

  
  
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  2 T. crumbled feta (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.  Drain and rinse chickpeas, spread out on baking sheet anddrizzle with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.  Roast, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until turning golden and slightly crispy.  Set aside to cool a bit.  Meanwhile put parsley, mint, onion, garlic, lemon zest and cumin in a medium bowl.  Add the chickpeas along with the yogurt.  Stir gently to combine.  Taste, adjust the seasonings – you might want more salt, more cumin, or more mint.  Top with the crumbled feta, if using.  This salad tastes best at room temperature, which keeps the flavors mellow.  If making ahead of time, refrigerate then bring back to room temperature before serving.  If you make it more than a day ahead, you’ll probably want to add a bit more yogurt as the chickpeas slowly soak it in after several hours.