When days are hot in the summer, I love to make this fresh salad. It takes less than 15 minutes to chop all the ingredients and I promise your friends and family will be very impressed. Try with toasted pita and barbecued chicken.  

Makes 6 servings.

 

Ingredients:

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 cucumber, seeded and cut in ½ inch dice

1 can (12-16 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley*

⅓ cup chopped fresh mint

⅓ cup chopped fresh basil

½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2-4 lemons depending on size)

1 Tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)

½ cup good olive oil

Pepper

4-8  oz feta cheese, ½ inch dice

 

*I love fresh herbs but they can be expensive if you don’t grow them yourself. You can substitute extra parsley for the basil in this recipe and it still works great.

 

Preparation:

1.     In a large salad bowl add chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, scallions and fresh herbs.

2.     In a small jar, shake together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and pinch of pepper until fully mixed. Pour dressing over salad and mix gently.

3.     Add feta and mix gently. Season additionally with salt or pepper to your taste.

 

Cook’s Tips:

 

I’ve been experimenting with ways to add longevity to herbs. It’s so disappointing to find the huge bunch of parsley you’ve bought wilted after only a day or two! The best solution I’ve found by far is, after a quick wash and dry, store your fresh herbs in a Tupperware container with some paper towel at the bottom. They’ll last the whole week (and even longer). Here’s a photo of the mint and parsley used in this recipe after one week in my fridge. 

 

Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa. Photos by Lindsay Buchanan, RD