The food in the canteen at work is really unfortunate. I used to love hummus, for example, and one weird batch of the stuff at work sent me and my stomach into a fit which quickly ended my love affair with this Levant dish.

So what was I supposed to do with the 4 cans of chick peas in my cupboard?

Make lots of chickpea salad. 

My mother always made this as a snack for those weird in between meals hours, sitting just after lunch, and slightly before dinner. Chickpeas can be pretty hearty, so splitting a can between the two of us always did the trick, and tied us over till the next great meal together.

Chickpeas are pretty under-used in the Netherlands. You can find them in your typical Dutch grocery store, though they are a bit cheaper in your find a good Middle Eastern market or Sloterij. This salad is a great for its versatility, you can use different spices, sun-dried tomatoes, a little feta, or some chorizo, for example, can totally change the taste and transform this little treat from a side salad to a main dish. Go cray.

Ingredients

•  1 small red onion, peeled + chopped
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp  olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 x 410g jar or tin of chickpeas, drained, or around 4 large handfuls of soaked and cooked chickpeas
• a handful of fresh parsley, chopped (or about 3 tbsp of the dry stuff)
• 200g/7oz feta cheese (optional)

Method

1. Chop your red onion and place in a large mixing bowl.
2. Fully drain your chickpeas, and give them a good rinse with cold water. Allow them to dry for a few minutes.
3. Add the chickpeas to your chopped onions, then your lemon juice, olive oil, parsley  red pepper flakes and garlic powder. If you’d like to add feta, do it now. Give your salad a good mix, then add salt and pepper to taste. 

Serves 2 as a side : )

Audio Pairing: “Thanks Vision” by Toro y Moi

*Updated*

check out this ping back! 

http://bowie-tx.com/9-14-2012-salad/

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