Recipe #10 - Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

We recently put this one together based primarily on what we had on hand at the time. We had it with homemade mediterranean veggie burgers, but it would go great with a piece of grilled fish.

Makes six servings.

2 15 oz. cans low sodium chickpeas, drained and thoroughly rinsed

1 small bulb fennel, finely diced
1 medium shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 red bell pepper, cored and cut in four pieces

3 ripe red tomatoes, cored and diced
1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup prepared basil pesto (recipe follows)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt & pepper

3 cups mesclun salad greens
2 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Put the drained chickpeas in a large mixing bowl.

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and add the fennel, shallot and garlic. Saute until just cooked through, about four minutes. Cool slightly and add to the chickpeas.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler and cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Put the pieces of bell pepper, skin side up, on the tray and place directly underneath the broiler heat element. Roast until the skin blackens considerably. Remove immediately and slide the roasted pepper pieces into a paper bag. Close the bag up tight and let cool. Then remove the pepper and peel all the skin off. Dice the roasted peppers and add to the chickpea mixture.

Add the tomatoes, olives and feta cheese to the salad.

In another bowl, whisk together the pesto, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the dressing to the chickpea mixture and stir gently to combine everything. Chill the salad for 30 minutes.

Put the lemon juice, feta and olive oil in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Put the salad greens in a bowl and add the lemon-feta vinaigrette, tossing gently to dress. Put a small handful of dressed greens on each plate and top with a mound of the chickpea salad. Serve!

BASIL PESTO

Fistful of fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
8 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and buzz it until it becomes a smooth paste, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Adjust flavors as appropriate. (If you want a more pronounced garlic flavor, throw in a few extra cloves. Same goes for the other ingredients.) If the pesto seems too thick, add more olive oil. Store in an airtight jar or sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator, or freeze for later use.