When I studied abroad in college, I had the pleasure of visiting Greece for 10 days, which turned out to be one of the most amazing places I have ever been. The people, the food, the culture, the beauty… all of it was amazing, and I cannot wait to go back. While in Greece, I absolutely fell in love with Greek salads (I literally ate them every single day I was there), and while this rendition isn’t the traditional Greek salad, I thought I would punch it up a bit by adding protein-loaded chickpeas, a lemony vinaigrette and fresh parsley for added brightness. Turned out to be delicious, perfect as a complete meal or hearty side dish. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

    For the salad:

• 3/4 cup chickpeas
• 1/2 cup cucumber, cut into medium sized chunks
• 1/2 cup tomato, cut into medium sized chunks
• 5 Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion (I shocked mine in cold water for 5 minutes to remove some of the bite of raw onion)
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup cubed feta

For the vinaigrette:

• 1/2 clove garlic, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon olive oil (if you don’t have lemon olive oil you can use regular olive oil and add a bit of fresh lemon juice)
• 1/4 teaspoon raw agave
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. To make the dressing: in a small bowl whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients together until combined. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl toss chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, olives, onion, parsley and feta. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss until combined. Serve at room temperature and enjoy!

Makes 1 large serving

Copyright Kameron Tunila (Food to Thrive)