Chick peas are delicious, nutritious and a good vegetarian option. Chick pea salad is one of my favourite meals. It’s tasty, quick to put together, no cooking required, highly nutritious, and the ingredients are simple. It’s a perfect one-bowl summer meal. I eat it all year long!

The great thing about this kind of recipe is that you can make it what you want it to be. You can switch out the veggies I’ve listed for ones you prefer. You can add cilantro instead of parsley or don’t add garlic if you would prefer not to. You can add nuts instead of ground chia seeds.

NUTRITION

Chick peas are packed with nutrients. According to healthline.com one cup (164 grams) of chick peas contains 14.5 g of protein, 12.5 g of dietary fibre, very low fat and will help to keep you feeling full for a while.

Chick peas are not just delicious, but a good source of protein. However, they are not a complete protein, so it’s important to add either some nuts/seeds or a whole grain to complete the protein. I prefer to ground some chia seeds and I add a teaspoon to my serving. Once you’ve ground the chia seeds you can leave them in the fridge for up to 6 months. I usually ground about 1/2 cup at a time, so it gets used up within 2-3 weeks. I usually add it to my morning granola or on top of a salad for some extra nutrition.

INGREDIENTS

  • One can chick peas (I used a 28oz can)
  • One or two (red) peppers, chopped almost fine
  • 1 small red onion, chopped almost fine
  • 1/2 of a bunch of fresh parsley, chopped fine (I chop some of the stems off, but that is optional)
  • Olives, sliced, any kind
  • 1 tbsp dried basil
  • 1/2 tsp garlic
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/3 cucumber, diced (this is optional)
  • Ground chia seeds -one teaspoon added to each serving

This meal takes about 15 minutes to put together. If you are using canned chick peas be sure to rinse them thoroughly first before adding them to your bowl. If you are using dried chick peas, check Inspired Taste’s post here about how to cook them to get them ready for your salad.

Add all the ingredients into a large bowl. Mix thoroughly and the meal is ready. So delicious and you can save the leftovers for the next day’s lunch or another even quicker dinner.

Chick peas are one of my favourite legumes. I love how they taste and their creamy texture and that they are so healthy for me. I’ve just recently started making my own hummus and I love the recipe by Love and Lemons here.

Check out a previous post about meal planning here.

Let me know in the comments what you like to add to your chick pea salad. I’d love to know.

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