Tomato and Zucchini Salad

I made this healthy Summer salad for dinner last night. The warm weather called for a light meal, quick and healthy. If you are a regular reader you will know that Sunday night is Dumpling Night in our home. It is a tradition we have had for more than a year now. While I love not cooking on Sunday night, I do get sick of dumplings. My two little boys adore them, and love our Sunday night tradition so it stays… Last night after a warm day and a heavy workload across the weekend I was craving a wholesome boost.

I collected the beautiful tomatoes and zucchini for the salad from my vegetable garden.

• Serves: 2 adults
• Preparation Time: 5-10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes approximately

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
• 2 garlic cloves – finely chopped
• 240 gram tin of chick peas – drained and rinsed
• 6 fresh spring onions – chopped
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 1 small zucchini shaved into strips (with a potato peeler)
• handful of fresh tomatoes – halved or quartered
• 1/4 cup of walnuts

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon (more) of lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon of good quality extra virgin olive oil

Combine by whisking with a fork

Steps:

1. Add the oil to a pan with the garlic and heat until fragrant
2. Add the chick peas and cook on medium heat until they start to colour. Remove from the heat and add the spring onions and lemon juice and stir to combine
3. Season the chick peas with salt and freshly cracked pepper and set aside to cool
4. On a serving plate, add the zucchini strips and tomatoes then top with the chick peas, walnuts, and drizzle over the dressing to serve

I enjoyed the nutty flavour and crisp textures in this salad. I realised when eating it, and after a quick google search of A Fresh Legacy – A leaf from my garden, that I have previously published a recipe where I prepare the chick peas in the same way.

The other salad recipe was a Haloumi Salad. Not as wholesome, but very tasty. Unwittingly, I even photographed that recipe on the same plate- oops !! Take a look below and give it a try if you love Haloumi cheese, and a little zing of chilli:

All I can say is… there are similarities in the recipes because they work!  Tomatoes and chickpeas make a great combination 🙂

Have you tried chick peas in a salad?