Scorpiotiger's delicous post on salads made me think of this recipe. Everyone seems to like it. If you like a lot of flavor it may seem a little bland so you may want to add some seasoning of your own choice (a friend added lime juice instead of lemon juice), otherwise it is delicious.

Chickpea Salad

Prep. time: 30 minutes active, 4 hours chilling
Yield: 8 to 10 side salads

3 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes (about 4 medium)
15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 large cucumber, peeled, quartered and sliced (about 1 cup)
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup olive oil or other high quality salad oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt or coarse mineral salt
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon sugar or natural sweetener
Salad greens (optional)
Lemon wedges (optional)

In a very large bowl, combine the tomatoes, chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, cilantro and onion. Set aside.
To make the dressing, combine the oil, vinegar, salt, garlic and sugar in a bottle or jar with a screw top. Cover the bottle and shake well. Taste and add additional sugar, if desired.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours. Let the salad stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
Serve salad alone or toss with mixed greens. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the salad.
Nutrition information per serving: 134 cal., 4 g pro., 14 g carbo., 8 g fat.

In Malaysia, chickpea is a very popular street food. It is kept hot in big steamers and sold in small packets or cups. The chickpeas taste a little saltish but very soft and nice. To cook at home, I always soak it overnight, then cook it in a pressure cooker with some salt added to it. It's a great, healthy snack while watching TV or even for picnics and parties. A friend of mine uses it to make curry and it tastes so good.

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My favorite way to use chickpeas is hummus!! And since I live in the SW, green chile hummus is my most favorite. Take a cup of cooked chickpeas, place in a sturdy blender (vita mix is best) and 3 whole roasted chiles- or adjust for your personal heat tolerance, add 2 large cloves of garlic chopped, a 1/4 cup of olive oil and juice of two lemons. Blend. Drizzle with more olive oil if you like and top with paprika for color. Serve with corn chips, tortillas or pita bread- depending on which ethnicity you wish to emphasize.

Also makes a great filling for vegetarian sandwiches with whole wheat bread and alfalfa and/or sunflower sprouts.