Remember back in March when it was 85 degrees without a cloud in the sky?

How I spent my Friday laying out on my deck drinking a margarita…alone…at 3…?

Well I made this refreshing salad then, when we were enjoying the heat and thinking summer had arrived early.

Now it’s freezing cold and windy ALLLLLLLL the time.

And yes, I realize I live in “the windy city”, but, I’ll have you know, it’s not named that because of the chilly gusts constantly blowing off Lake Michigan.  It actually got it’s nickname from all of the hot air bellowing politicians, according to the locals.  Depending on who you talk to you will probably get a different answer, but most will say it is the latter.

Lets all keep our fingers crossed and pray that the warm summer air makes its way back here very soon, and in the mean time you can make this salad, turn up the heat, and pretend you are in the Mediterranean.

This is a quick salad to throw together and you can alter it any way you want with whatever fresh veggies you have.

The fresh lemon and cucumber help give it that crisp and refreshing taste so many Greek salads and dishes include.

Whatever fresh vegetables and herbs you use, I recommend chopping them all about the same size, no bigger than the chick peas or garbanzo beans (they are the same thing).

 

If you like this salad, you may also like this Chick Pea Salad. or this Lentil Salad with feta.

 

Recipe: Mediterranean Chick Pea Salad

Ingredients:

1-2 Cans Chick Peas, drained and rinsed

1 Cup Cherry tomatoes, halved and/or quartered

1/2 Cucumber, Chopped

1/2 Red Onion, Copped

2 Tablespoons Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped

Juice of 1 Lemon

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

6 Ounces Feta Cheese, crumbled

1/4 Cup Kalamata Olives, chopped (I added these after I took the pictures)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Rinse and drain beans. Chop vegetables and combine all ingredients into a medium size bowl, mixing until evenly coated. Serve chilled.