Ingredients
This makes a great entree for one with the right amount of leftovers for lunch or it can be a side for 4. See notes for allergy substitutions. Recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver.
Ingredients
- 1 small red onion, peeled
- 1 fresh red chillies, deseeded
- 2 handfuls ripe red or yellow tomatoes
- 1 lemon
- extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1, 15-ounce (425 g) can chickpeas, drained, or around 4 large handfuls of soaked and cooked chickpeas
- 1 handful fresh mint, chopped
- 1 handful fresh green or purple basil, finely ripped
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Directions
- Finely slice your red onion and red chillies and put them in a large mixing bowl
- Roughly chop your tomatoes (I quartered mine, but you can chop them smaller if you want), and add them to the bowl with the onion and chillies.
- Scrape all juices and remaining bits from your cutting board into the bowl with the onion and chili.
- Dress the vegetables with with the juice of half of your lemon and 3 tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a frying pan, heat the chickpeas in a pan until they are warmed through, then add about 90% of them to the bowl. This should leave ¼ cup or so of the chickpeas.
- Mash the remaining chickpeas and add these to your other ingredients in the mixing bowl – they will give a nice creamy consistency to the salad and help keep the oil and lemon juice emulsified..
- Give a good stir and then allow the salad to marinate for a little while and serve at room temperature. (If you are making a to-go lunch, skip the waiting part)
- When you are ready to serve (or pack up to go), add the fresh herbs and taste the salad. You may need to add the juice from the remaining half of lemon or a little more salt and pepper.
- Top with crumbled feta to serve (or stir it in before you pack your lunch bag).
- Just as you’re ready to serve, give the salad a final dress with the fresh mint and basil. Taste one last time for seasoning – you may want to add the juice from your remaining lemon half at this point. Place on a nice serving dish and crumble over the feta cheese.
Notes
If you have dairy allergies, sheep’s feta tastes better than cow’s anyway. If you also can’t do sheep cheese, GoVeggie has a vegan grated topping that is similar to parmesan. Add this to taste as the amount will be different than the amount of feta required.
Recipe courtesy: Mary Fran Wiley of Frannycakes
