Today, a quick nudge from me to make this nutritious chickpea salad. It’s a super quick and easy recipe that’s very convenient in a heatwave, which we are at the tail end of over here.
This past week has seen ridiculous (and scarily high) temperatures all over Europe. France registered a temperature as high as 44 degree Celsius (or 111 °F) and UK was not far behind. Bristol recorded the highest ever temperature of 38 °C (100.4 °F), which coupled up with its very high humidity felt truly oppressive and exhausting.
I am not someone who copes with heat all that well so I was good for nothing all week, if I am honest. I resolutely avoided cooking and this chickpea salad was one of the dishes that saw us through this patch of extreme weather. I like it cos it’s very quick and easy to make, it uses simple ingredients that I was able to pick up in my very average local supermarket (despite the fact that it was missing a lot more stuff than usual as all of its fridges were out of order due to the heatwave), it is also very nutritious and satiating thanks to protein-rich chickpeas.
Aside from chickpeas, this chickpea salad features two types of ripe tomatoes, flame roasted red peppers, crunchy celery and olives. All these are brought together by a grated tomato dressing and a handful of herbs. It’s really easy yet delightful, I hope you’ll try it too.
MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
CHICKPEAS: Chickpeas are the nutritious base of this simple chickpea salad. They are rich in plant protein, which helps to keep you satiated for longer.
TOMATOES: I used the flesh of ripe tomatoes for the dressing and a bunch of cherry tomatoes, red and yellow, for the salad itself. They are small and therefore sweeter and more intense in flavour.
OLIVES: Olives add a deliciously salty pops of flavour to this chickpea salad. I used Kalamata olives as they are my favourite, but any types of olives works well. If you dislike olives, you could try roughly chopped capers instead.
CELERY: I added two long ribs of crunchy celery to this chickpea salad for a bit of textural variety and extra nutrition.
HERBS: Adding fresh herbs to salads makes brings them up a notch and this simple salad is no exception. I like to use a combination of flat leaf parsley and dill or coriander.
RED WINE VINEGAR: Red wine vinegar adds a touch of acidity to the simple grated tomato dressing for this salad. I like its clean flavour and the fact that it does not affect the colour of the ingredients.
OLIVE OIL: Olive oil needs no introduction. Its healthier variety – extra virgin olive oil – is rich in polyphenols and heart-healthy monosaturated fats. It’s the best oil to use in a dressing.
PINE NUTS: I used lightly toasted pine nuts to top this chickpea salad with. You can skip them if you prefer.
DRESSING
- 2 ripe medium tomatoes
- 45 ml / 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 15 ml / 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 5 ml / 1 tsp maple syrup or sugar (optional)
- 1 garlic clove, grated finely
- salt & pepper, to taste
CHICKPEA SALAD
- 400 g / 14 oz cooked chickpeas, drained
- 200 g / 7 oz cherry tomatoes
- 2 roasted red peppers in brine
- 2 celery ribs
- 12 Kalamata olives
- large handful of fresh herbs, I love parsley and coriander
- 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
- Cut medium tomatoes in half horizontally (so that the entire stem hole is on one of the halves). Grate the flesh of the tomatoes on a fine mesh grater so that what you are left with is the tomato skin.
- To the grated tomato flesh add olive oil, red wine vinegar and a clove of grated garlic. Season to taste and mix well. If the dressing is too sharp, add a bit of maple syrup to balance it out.
- Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Drain the peppers, deseed and cut into strips. Slice celery ribs and olives. Chop the herbs finely.
- Combine all of the salad ingredients in a mixing bowl, stir the dressing through it, season to taste and enjoy.