Salad season is almost upon us… almost. This chickpea dish can be served warm or cold, depending on how co-operative the weather is being 🙂

This time around, we ate it warm.

I just got a new zester, so I’m a little obsessed with putting lemon zest in stuff. I love the blend of lemon zest, olive oil and chili flakes. Oh so good!

I’m also a sucker for nicely sautéed leeks – white AND green parts, thankyouverymuch! Sometimes I just cook up a bunch of them, and add them to every dish. It makes a really good condiment.

To prepare leeks:

• cut off the root end, and the dried tops
• half each leek across where the white meets the green
• half the white part lengthwise, and do the same for the greens (by breaking them where they fold)
• WASH LEEKS VERY VERY WELL – dirt gets into the layers of the leek, so put them under running water and wash in between the layers as best you can
• drain well

They take a bit of prep, but are really worth it! I usually prep the whole bunch at once, and keep them in a ziplock bag in the fridge.

Warm Chickpea Salad with Tomatoes and Parsley

Ingredients

• 1 cup coarsely chopped parsley
• zest and juice from 1 small or 1/2 large lemon (approximately 2 Tablespoons juice,  1 Tablespoon zest)
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon chile flakes (to taste)
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas (roughly 1 can)
• 1 leek, sliced into 1/4″ half rings
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Make the dressing by combining the parsley, lemon juice, half of the lemon zest, about 1/4 teaspoon of the minced garlic, chili flakes and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix, and set aside.
2. In a sauté pan, add about a tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté the leeks until softened.
3. Add the rest of the minced garlic, lemon zest and chili flakes and cook for another minute.
4. Add the chickpeas and cook through, stirring regularly to coat with the other ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Toss in the cherry tomatoes, remove from heat, and immediately toss with the dressing.

This dish is great served warm or cool!