Meatless Monday: Warm Chickpea Salad

Full disclosure: I did not make this dish. I ate it, very happily, though. When a few of us co-workers went out for lunch today to a favourite place in our downtown Toronto neighbourhood, Lola’s Commissary, I zeroed in on this menu item. I had been craving chick peas, and the roasted tomatoes sealed the deal. I don’t know the recipe, but if I were to try to recreate it at home, here’s what I’d do:

Put one cup of canned, rinsed chick peas in a small saucepan, and stir in some olive oil and finely chopped tomatoes, plus a few whole roasted tomatoes. (You can buy these in the grocery store of course, but keep in mind that if you have a tomato plant on the go and, come August, end up with so many you can’t keep up with them, a great thing to do is roast them on low heat in the oven for a few hours, cool them and then freeze them in freezer bags. You can use them in so many recipes.) Add a clove of finely sliced garlic and some chives. Heat on medium until the chopped tomatoes soften, then add a large handful of spinach mixed with fresh basil leaves, and stir only until the leaves wilt. Remove to a serving bowl, and top with fresh pumpkin sprouts (that’s what they used, but any sprout will be delicious). This was filling, meat-free and delicious.

Do you have an easy vegetarian recipe to share? Go for it!

Related:
‘ Squash and Chickpea Stew
‘ The 5 vegetables that are highest in fibre
‘ Meatless Monday: Vegetable Black-Bean Casserole