Easy Chickpea and Veggie Salad
This chickpea and veggie salad is a nutritional powerhouse, packed with fiber and all sorts of good-for-you ingredients. It's incredibly easy to make and keeps well in the fridge all week, making it perfect for lunches, light dinners, or a healthy side dish!
Yields: Approximately 6 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
for the salad:
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can hearts of palm (salad cut, if available, or cut into bite-sized pieces), drained
4 Persian cucumbers, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
¾ - 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
1 container feta cheese (optional, for dairy-free, omit or use vegan cheese)
For the dressing:
½ cup olive oil
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Combine the Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, hearts of palm, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, and Kalamata olives. Add the feta cheese, if using.
Make the Dressing: In a separate jar or small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, rice vinegar, Dijon mustard, and maple syrup (or honey). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Dress the Salad: Pour about half of the dressing over the salad. Toss gently to combine, then taste and add more dressing as needed. You likely won't need all the dressing at once.
Store and Serve: Store the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
I keep this in the fridge all week. I add tuna or chicken or hard boiled egg to provide protein punch. Keep some of the dressing to freshen the salad up later in the week. Enjoy!