{recipe} chickpea & feta salad

This photo taken by The Kitchenist

All other photos by me

My mom makes something pretty similar to this recipe. I always forget to get all of my favorite recipes from her whenever I go home, and I started to get a craving for this particular salad, so I just found a recipe that was somewhat like it to make at school! There is quite a bit of prep work (chopping up all of the vegetables) but the ingredients were really cheap and healthy. I will definitely be making it often!

Recipe adapted from The Kitchenist

Yields enough for 6 as a side and 3 as a main dish.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup + 2 Tbs. olive oil

1 leek, sliced lengthwise and chopped (white and light green parts only)

1 small red onion, finely chopped

2 mini red bell peppers, chopped and de-seeded

1 mini orange bell pepper, chopped and de-seeded

4 tsp. chili powder

3 teaspoons of pre-chopped garlic from jar (or 3 finely chopped garlic cloves)

15.5 oz can of chickpeas (drained)

Half container of feta, crumbled

4 green onions (dark and light green parts only)

2 Tbs. finely chopped mint

1 Tbs. finely chopped basil

zest and juice of 1 large lemon

Directions:

 I recommend chopping up all vegetables before heating the olive oil.

Heat 2 Tbs. of the olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Gently cook the leek and red onion for 8-10 minutes, until very soft and beginning to turn golden. Add the chili powder, mini bell peppers, and garlic and cook for another minute or two until very fragrant- be careful not to brown the garlic. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Place the chickpeas, feta, green onions, mint, basil, lemon zest, lemon juice and remaining olive oil in a large bowl.

When it's cool enough not to melt the feta, add the mixture from the frying pan and gently stir everything to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Leave salad for at least one hour (or as many as 24) before eating in the fridge because the flavors will meld together!

Tomorrow night I am making Jamaican Jerk Chicken Bowls with plantains, coconut rice, pineapple and black beans for dinner with my roommates. So look back for that recipe :)

xox, Jen