Roasted and Chilled Chickpea and Herb Salad

Within the past couple of days, it seems a switch was flipped to summer and I'm welcoming the new season with open arms and new recipes. Gone are the days of braising hearty dishes and heavy comfort food, the warmer months are all about crisp vegetables, ripe fruits and lighter, fresher fare. Usually with my summer-time recipes there's a lot less fuss over a dish and because my apartment can get pretty toasty, pretty fast, my recipes also tend to get created with minimal help from the heat of a stove.

While the chickpeas in this salad were roasted to help bring out that beautifully natural nuttiness of theirs, the salad is then chilled and served cold, making this a perfect candidate for a make ahead meal that you can prepare hours or even a day ahead. The flavors in this dish are bright, with lots of fresh squeezed lemon, cumin, chopped cilantro and mint and then everything gets balanced out by salty crumbles of feta. The shreds of carrot cling to the roasted chickpeas, boosting the crisp texture of the dish up a bit while the crisp cucumbers add another element of crunch. 

Roasted and Chilled Chickpea and Herb Salad

- 1, 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained

- 1/2 English cucumber, diced

- 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

- 2 TBS fresh cilantro, chopped

- 1 TBS fresh mint, chopped
- 1 tsp cumin

- The juice of one lemon

- 1 carrot, peeled and shredded

- Drizzle of olive oil

- Salt and Pepper to taste

In a foil-lined baking dish, roast the chickpeas in a bit of olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, in the oven at 425 degrees. Stir them up every 10 minutes or so until they start to turn golden. Once this happens, set them aside and chill. Meanwhile, in another dish, combine the cucumbers, carrot, lemon juice, cumin and herbs. Add the chickpeas and combine. Add another drizzle of olive oil to the bowl, feta crumbles and mix thoroughly. Season to taste and serve chilled.