Chickpea, Feta and Coriander Salad
If you’re looking for a protein packed salad, that is ready to eat in less than 10minutes and requires no cooking, then this is the salad for you.
This wee gem is full of textures and flavours and because it has legumes and a significant amount of feta (that’s code for lots) in it, there is no need to add any further protein if you can’t be bothered. This meal in a bowl will fuel you for hours on end. It is such a user-friendly salad that you can make it and serve it all in the same bowl. If you’re feeling a little risqué, feel free to eat it from the same bowl too. No judgement here. And the less dishes the better!
If you are surrounded by meat loving eaters, is also works well on the side of any protein. The salad does pack a bit of a punch, so make sure the protein is bolshy enough to stand up for itself. A prawn or a delicate fish will simply be left behind if partnered with this. A well marinated chicken thigh or a chunky piece of beef on the other hand, will be a match made in eating heaven.
If you’re feeling particularly posh, chargrill some ciabatta, add a spoonful or 3 of this on top of the bread, drizzle (that’s the posh bit) some tasty olive oil over the top, scatter over a bit of extra coriander, a crumble of feta and a darned good grind of black pepper, and you’re good to go. Cutlery optional 😊
Serves 6-10 adults as a side, or 4-5 as a main.
It really depends how hungry you are, I guess.
2 x 400gm can chickpeas – well drained
200gms feta – broken into chunks. I prefer the creamier feta for this salad but use whatever you fancy.
1 red chili – seeds removed and finely diced
½ telegraph cucumber – cut into bite sized chunks
Very thinly sliced peel of 1 large lemon
1 red capsicum – thinly sliced
½ a decent sized red onion – cut into half rings
About 20gms coriander – use more if want, less if you want
10-20 grinds of black pepper
Dressing
3Tabs olive oil
1 ½ Tabs lemon juice
½ teaspoon hot English mustard.
To make the salad
Put the dressing ingredients in the base of the bowl you are making the salad in and stir to combine. Add all other ingredients in the order listed above. Mix. Serve.
How easy was that!
Helpful stuff
I use creamy feta as opposed to the crumbly feta, as I prefer the texture in this salad. It does mean that the feta will break up more when mixed and will coat everything else, but I like that. If you prefer the feta to stay more solid and for the other ingredients to stand out more, use the crumbly feta instead.
The lemon peel can be a little tricky. You don’t want all that white pith carry on, but zesting it just doesn’t give the same result. I have a lemon zester that removes the peel in very thin long strands and this is perfect. If you don’t have one of these, peel the skin with a vege peeler, making sure not to remove too much of the white stuff and slice very thinly.
If you like the sound of this salad but the idea of coriander is making you dry retch (I have heard about people like you), no fear. Make this into more of a Mediterranean salad. Omit the coriander, add a big handful of chopped parsley, some cut up tomatoes and if they are your gig, some olives, and you have something that is just as easy but suits you better. And we all love a bit of what suits us best.
So kick back. Take a load off. Spend a little more time doing whatever it is that fills your cup with joy. Dinner will only taker 10mins to make.
Enjoy!