Summer Salad Recipe: Chickpea, Sun-dried Tomato + Herbs

By: Barb Biagioli 

With all the wonderful things that summer has to offer – sun, sand, and sea are usually at the top of the list and spending these sunshiny days in the kitchen seems like waste. That’s why it’s the peak season for barbecues, cold drinks and salads. Having fresh whole foods and ingredients for quick lunches, grilling, picnics and last-minute trips to the beach, is essential for optimal summer fun.

 Some summer staples might include:

• Beans + Legumes: chickpeas, lentils, black beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans

•  Greens: arugula, kale, spinach, mixed lettuce, mustard greens

•  Herbs: dill, parsley, chives, basil, cilantro, mint

• Nuts + Seeds: pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds

• Allium veggies: Onions, shallot, leeks and garlic

By stocking your pantry and fridge with these essentials, you can throw together any number of different salads on a whim. These are some of the basics but by no means an extensive list of pantry staples. From here, you can build your own salads, adding whatever summer veggies you have on hand and the onion, shallot, and/or garlic will make it easy to add punch to your dishes or dressings. With salads, you can be endlessly experimental and creative while still sticking to a healthy diet.

Today’s salad recipe includes chickpeas, red onion, sun-dried tomatoes, chives, dill, and sunflower seeds. The chickpeas are a great source of plant-based protein, with 15 grams of protein per cup. They are inexpensive, a good source of folate and fiber and they’re filling. The herbs are an added bonus, both highly nutritious. They add great flavor and nutritional benefit and their vibrant green hue not only adds a spark of color to an otherwise bland looking dish. The chives provide a quality dose of minerals – potassium, calcium, and phosphorous. And the dill offers a healthy helping of vitamin C, fiber, folate, calcium, manganese, and iron.

This salad is filling, creamy, tangy, salty, crunchy, and delicious. It’s perfect for all your summer adventures, even if it’s just sitting on the back porch.

Chickpea + SUN-DRIED Tomato Summer Salad Recipe

Servings 2 - 4 / Prep Time: 15 minutes / Total Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

4 cups chickpeas

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced

1 red onion, diced

1 handful of dill, diced

1 handful of chives, diced

¼ cup sunflower seeds

 
Dressing

1 cup tahini

½ cup dijon mustard

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp lemon, juiced

1 tsp maple syrup

¼ tsp sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS

 1.     In a large bowl, add the chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion, dill, chives, and sunflower seeds. Stir to combine.

2.     In a small bowl, add the tahini, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, lemon, maple syrup and sea salt. Whisk together, adding filtered water to thin. The consistency should be light and creamy – not too thick like hummus and not too thin like a vinaigrette.

3.     Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture and stir to combine.

4.     Enjoy mashed as a wrap, over a bed of arugula or fresh greens, mashed onto toast with avocado or simply as a snack on its own

---

More Recipes You Might Like