Chickpea, Feta, and Parsley Salad

Another addition to our lunchtime salads repertoire! This one is rooted in chickpeas as opposed to some of our other favorites, which involve quinoa or couscous. This salad is extremely light and probably is meant to be served as a side salad, but sometimes you have to buck the trend and do your own thing (i.e. eat a side salad as your main lunch salad). This particular recipe is only enhanced by our own fresh parsley from our herb garden. Oh the joys of having a blossoming herb garden! I also recommend spoiling yourself by getting a nicer feta that offers additional flavors, like peppercorn or tomato basil (I got peppercorn). Overall, I find this to be summery, light, and simple to make. My only regret is that I didn't realize that I was supposed to use a red onion until too late, which I think is always better than a yellow onion in a lunch salad. C'est la vie!

Cooking Notes: I subbed crushed red pepper for chili flakes (are they the same thing?). I also accidentally used a yellow onion as opposed to a red onion since recipe doesn't mention red until you read the instructions. Otherwise, I pretty much stuck to the recipe!

Chickpea, Feta, and Parsley Salad (adapted from Simple Provisions; serves 6-8)
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, separated
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 15-oz. cans chickpeas
4 spring onions, green part only, chopped
1 cup chopped parsley
Juice of one lemon (or about 1 tbsp)
5 oz. feta
S&P

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and cook the onion until it's lightly golden, about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes until garlic is fragrant or about 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool thoroughly.

Drain the chickpeas, rinse and place in a salad bowl. Add crumbled feta, spring onion, parsley and lemon juice, seasoning with S&P. Add onion mixture (once cooled), the other 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and mix well. Serve chilled!

Recipe: Simple Provisions: Chickpea, Feta, and Parsley Salad