This recipe originally came to me as a Greek vegan salad, but honestly, Greek salad without feta is like pancakes without syrup! I always add a good, tangy feta cheese, which is the perfect complement to the rest of the ingredients. This salad is dressed with a scant amount of olive oil and quite a helping of lemon juice. The seasoning derives from very thinly sliced basil and green onions. You may wish to further season with salt and pepper. Ingredients (Makes 6 side salads)
1/16-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans),
rinsed and drained
4 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
3 celery stalks, finely diced (the darker green
the celery, the more flavorful)
2 green onions, finely diced
(use your new herb scissors)
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
16 basil leaves, chiffonade (again, use your new herb scissors, or roll leaves tightly and thinly slice into strips)
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4-1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Directions
Combine the chickpeas in a large bowl with the remaining
ingredients. Toss well and taste for seasoning. Serve at room
temperature or chilled. Can be made several hours in advance.
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA