Chickpeas, Red Kidney beans & Feta Cheese Salad with lemon juice and Parsley:: Protein packed quick bite

Up until last year, I never used to do Salads at home. I only had had them while in some Event or sometimes along with a “meal-deal” in Junk food joints. That was when I hadn’t explored the wide range of Salads we can do. And actually If you think about it, we can turn every and anything we eat into a salad with minimum efforts. How would that sound if I say I am having fish and chips Salad !? Funny, eh!

Being a Vegetarian, I am used to the neglect in the Salad department of food as well. The variety of healthy Salads is wider in the Non Vegetarian sections (especially when you eat out ) and we the "greener" clan of people often have to compromise on lettuce, tomato and cucumber salad. And if it’s a lucky day, there is some cheese on top.

So I decided I would try making my own Salads at home, just to have a hang of it. And quite surprisingly, I like them now. I try to have Salad for dinner every alternate day in a week and so far this diet is working for me. Of course I cheat in between but I try to make up for it as much as I can.

Although I have mixed and match quite a lot of Salad types, I have only got a chance to post 2 of them so far. This Summer Salad  is the one I usually have since it’s an easy mix of the stuff I usually keep in the Fridge. And this Strawberry and Halloumicheese Salad is a  pure luxury for me, so fresh and flavourful. Not to forget this excellent Cous Cous Salad which has always been a hit wherever I have taken it. 

I tend to use minimum dressing on my salads. Of course the idea  is to have a meal which is low fat and nutritious, not full of Mayo and hence fat. I usually just add a dash of lemon juice with some cracked black pepper and sea salt. And that’s enough for me. And if the Salad contains Feta cheese,  it coats other items well and acts as a dressing in itself. Sometimes, I use this Dates Chutney as a dressing and that works pretty well too.

Coming to the recipe for today, this is a very satisfying Salad. The chickpeas make it almost a meal in itself and the feta like I said, coats everything to make a salty, creamy dressing that comes to life with the citrus and herbs. Throw in some Red Kidney beans and you are ready with a protein packed meal, which is low in calories and very filling.

It’s my go-to dish for whenever I’m asked to bring a salad to a party, especially BBQs as it goes so beautifully with grilled stuff. The flavours in the salad get better over time, so make it a few hours before you serve it if you can. It serves so well in current heat, filling your stomach without upsetting it. Chickpeas serve as a great source of Fiber too, along with being a good source of Iron and other minerals. Same goes for Red Kidney beans. But both of these legumes produce gas in  the stomach and hence I have used Garlic and ginger in this Salad. These two ingredients will help in combating the gassy nature of the legumes keeping you light and not bloated.

Adding onion is optional, but I like the taste and crunch added to may salads. Likewise, garlic might put you off so you may omit that too. I love it when smoked or oven roasted so add a few pieces on top to give this salad a unique flavour. 

Prep Time: 10-12 minutes

Cooking Time: 3-5 minutes

Serves: 2-4 people

Course:- Salad

Cuisine:-  Across the World

Spice Level:  Mildly hot, savory 

Recipe Level:  Easy

Shelf Life: Up to 2-3 hour at Room temperature, up to 12 hours in the fridge.

Serving Suggestion: With Soup or on its own, with BBQ or drinks   

Nutritional Facts:- rich in Protein, Fiber, anti-oxidants, and other minerals.

What you need?

• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 can red kidney beans
• 1 small piece of ginger, grated or shredded
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2- 3 cloves garlic
• 1  tbsp olive oil
• A pinch of red chili flakes
• 3-4 spring onions (scallions), green part only, chopped
• 1 cup chopped parsley OR coriander ( I used cilantro )
• Juice of one lemon
• 150g  feta cheese – almost half cup size
• Salt and Black pepper

How to make?

• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook the red onion till lightly golden. Do not overdo it and the onions should still be crunchy. Add garlic and chili and cook till the garlic is fragrant. Set aside to cool so it doesn’t melt the feta when you mix it in.
• Drain the chickpeas and red kidney beans, rinse and place in the salad bowl. Add crumbled feta, spring onion, parsley ( or coriander )  and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. Add the cooled onion and garlic mixture and remaining oil and mix well.

Tips and Notes:

• I like roasted garlic a lot. But using the Oven only for roasting 1 single piece of garlic is a bit too much. So I tend to roast garlic as and when I use oven so when I make this Salad next, I use roasted/smoky garlic instead of the one fried in the oil. It’s a different taste altogether.
• The otherwise bland taste of red kidney beans can be balanced out by using this Dates and Tamarind Chutney or sometimes this Coriander Chutney. Even  this peanut coriander chutney might also serve as a good dressing which is  very healthy in comparison to thousand island or mayo.
• You may like to throw in some chopped tomatoes for a slightly moist and tangy flavour, as you can see in the pictures that I have indeed added a few bits. 
• For a vegan version, omit Feta Cheese and you may add fried Tofu instead. 

Linked to Breakfast Recipes event running @ Cooking for all seasons.