greek chickpea chopped salad
Someone scraped my car today. I wonder if this is a sign that I’m not meant to leave my house ever.
Right. So this happened at work, while I was parked. Lady backed into a parking spot and squished her crossover against my lil ole Cruze. She has some nasty cuts now on her nose. Poor thing: first waking up in an unfamiliar lot, now some cosmetic damage to top it off.
Thankfully, the lady was very responsible, sought me out, gave me her information and said she’d pay up front for the damages incurred (or her insurance would). Still, though, a big inconvenience – I’m quite fortunate that an honest person caused the scuff.
Remember how I said this week’s Monday truly felt like a Monday? Yup, the Mondays carried into today, Tuesday. I hope the whole week isn’t a set of seven Mondays; Murphy can leave me the fuck alone. Go harangue someone your own size.
I’m glad I had something simple planned for when I got home. Greek salad is a favorite of mine. The flavors are incredibly fresh and light, diverse, easy to toss together into a bowlful of excellent when you’re less than hyped about making an elaborate dinner. This salad pairs with all sorts of sides and proteins, or you can leave it as is and enjoy on its own. I typically find this filling enough with the pile of chickpeas it offers.
And, of course, we’ve a lovely herby vinaigrette to top it off. I’m more into olive oil-based dressings lately than creamy ones – I guess I find them more satisfying for whatever reason, and more apropos for summertime. I don’t always needs globs of ranch tossed over everything. I, however, don’t really complain about a good ranch or Caesar dressing. I am the Caesar Ho, after all.
You Don’t Have to Cook Shit
For this recipe. Nope, no oven. None at all. Turn that fucker off right now and cool down your damn house.
In fact, you only need a single bowl and a jar, or a big bowl and a small bowl, to make this dish. Oh, and I guess a knife and cutting board. Unless you just tear and rip at all the components to slice them. More power to you. Please stay far away from me.
I start off with the vinaigrette. Most of my Greek dressings veer on a similar path: lemon, red wine vinegar, garlic, Dijon, fresh basil/oregano/dill, and some peach preserves. I like using preserves as the sweetener, but if you’re not a fan, honey or maple syrup are dandy. Shake or whisk up the dressing until nice and emulsified. Adjust salt and pepper as needed.
Chop It, Slice It, Throw It In a Bowl
Then, you basically just cut up some crap and throw it in a big bowl. Biggest bowl you’ve got. Romaine (or whatever greens you like), chickpeas, cherry tomatoes (love them lately), kalamata olives (green olives are good too!), cucumber, pepperoncini, and feta. Toss it all together and dump into a serving bowl, if you’d like, or just serve straight out of the bowl you mixed it in.
Top off your salad, or portion thereof, with sliced avocado and pickled onions. A smattering of fresh herbs doesn’t hurt either. I have basil everywhere right now so I usually pick a few leaves off, or dill when I’ve got it around.
If you need a heartier salad, some baked or grilled chicken or tofu (bread it up like in my Crispy Greek Tofu Pita Bowls for a real treat) are great options. I often add a can of tuna or a couple boiled eggs for my non-poultry protein. Hell, salmon is cool, too, if you’ve some leftover blackened filets from yesterday’s marsala.
If your plan is to have leftovers, omit the avocado until serving. It’ll turn a nice mushroom brown otherwise. And always store your dressing separate and add when you plan to serve.
Bright salad for rainy skies! What else could be better? A lot, but we won’t go there.
Tries this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Green thumb:
Spicy Blackened Shrimp and Avocado Greek Salad
Charred Corn Salad with Tomatoes and Chickpeas
Basic-Ass House Salad with Crunchy Italian Croutons
Marinated Tomato Caprese Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing
greek chickpea chopped salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce (or green of choice)
- 1 can chickpeas, drained
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2-3 Persian cucumbers, sliced
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
- 1/2 cup pepperonici, sliced
- 6 oz feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
- pickled onions and fresh herbs, to serve
Greek vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp peach preserves (or honey)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh dill, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- To make the dressing, shake or stir in a jar or bowl the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, peach preserves/honey, dijon, basil, oregano, dill, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- In a very large bowl, combine the romaine, chickpeas, olives, tomatoes, feta, and cucumbers. Toss to combine.
- Transfer the salad to a serving bowl. Top with avocado slices, pickled onions, and fresh herbs. Serve with the dressing on the side.
