Eight staple ingredients. One bowl. Ten minutes. Lunch is served.
Well, technically, this salad is better after it sits for about an hour, but you get the picture. Chickpea, Grape Tomato & Feta Salad is our feature for the final week of salad month.
Forever and a day ago, I found a recipe in the now defunct magazine Everyday Food. This tiny magazine put out by Martha Stewart always had quick, approachable meals for the person/family on the go. This salad, built on pantry and produce staples, was displayed in a quaint metal tiffin and looked bright, fresh and simple; its simplicity made me skeptical.
The two main ingredients—tomatoes and chickpeas—are dressed with a mix of mere lemon juice and olive oil. Fairly basic…but then, something magical happens when the feta meets the ingredients: it coaxes the water from the tomatoes, adding it to the vinaigrette, and the three slightly liquify the feta creating a creamy sauce that coats every bite. Seasoning of oregano, salt, and pepper finish the dish. It really was that easy. A few pieces of crusty baguette to sop up the juices make this one of my favorite lunchbox items.
Good food doesn’t have to be complicated and this recipe is case in point. A few simple ingredients playing off of each other creates a depth of flavor that sometimes the most complicated dish cannot provide. When life, work, and/or kids are just plain busy; there’s no need to waste more time in the kitchen than you need to. Thanks for following me through the last four weeks of Salad Month!
CHICKPEA, GRAPE TOMATO & FETA SALAD
The beauty of this salad is that it is a blank canvas for other complimentary ingredients. Add some diced cucumber and/or black olives for extra crunch and flavor; add chicken or canned tuna to make for a heartier meal.
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed, dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Whisk lemon juice and olive oil together in a medium bowl. Add all other ingredients and gently stir. Allow flavors to come together in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Serves 2 as a main dish and 4 as a side.
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