It is Sunday, and one of the things I like to do to help make a smooth week is to plan meals for the week and shop.  Sometimes, we make a dish on Sunday that can be stored in the fridge and is perfect to head out for lunches during the week.  This salad is always the first thing that comes to mind.

It used to be more prevalent for me to have meals prepped earlier in the week, or even making enough at meals to have left overs when I went into the office every day. Now, I spend all but one day a week working from home. Even though there is more of the ability to create a lunch when at home, most days, it is wonderful to have a salad like this at the ready.

This is a play on a chicken salad and just as tasty. There are different creative ways of serving:

• Simply serve the chickpea salad on its own.
• Serve over a bed of greens lightly dressed with oil and vinegar.
• Serve as a sandwich on some toasted bread.

I believe that one of the reasons that this hits the spot is the balance of fresh herbs, the creamy slightly mashed chickpeas, and the zip that the red wine vinegar brings to the dish. 

We got this recipe out of a favorite cookbook of ours and have been playing with it a little.  Our favorite variation is adding chopped celery leaves along with the parsley.  If you haven’t discovered uses for celery leaves, you should start.  The fresh celery flavor enhances everything it accompanies.  We add it to this salad, on top of greens salads, and to top off of soups – like chicken noodle or an Asian dumpling. I’m sure there are many more uses – maybe a celery leaf pesto is in my future.

One tip I have with regards to the red onion.  Sometimes, they can be really strong, and I have had it overpower the flavors in the salad.  When I get a really fragrant red onion, after chopping, add it to a bowl of cold water for 5-10 minutes. Then drain and dry and add to the salad.  This will take away the enzymes that make the onion very bold and pungent.  It also crisps it up for a great crunch in the salad.

It doesn’t matter how this salad is served up or at what time of day it’s at the table, I will be there and ready to gobble up the refreshing chickpea salad. Enjoy!

Chickpea Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cans garbanzo beans/chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced red pepper
• 1/4 cup diced red onion or shallots
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped celery leaves
• 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp dried dill
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
• Fresh dill for garnish, optional

Preparation:

Add drained chickpeas to a large bowl and mash them up slightly.  Goal is to get about half mashed, and the other half slightly broken up, but still chunky.  Add the celery, red pepper, onion, parsley, and celery leaves, and stir to combine with the chickpeas.

In a separate small bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, dill, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt, pepper, vinegar, or dill to your taste.

Pour the mayonnaise mixture over the chickpea mixture and stir to combine.  Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.  Can last 4-5 days in sealed containers in the fridge.

Happy Mixing!!!

*Recipe a slight adaptation from Aprés All Day cookbook.