Addictive Chickpea Salad

This yummy dish is a different kind of salad since there’s no lettuce.  The earthy heartiness of the protein packed chickpeas, combined with the crunch of red onions, the sweetness of the tomatoes and cucumbers, and the creaminess of the feta cheese makes for an explosion of flavors and textures in your mouth.

Best of all it takes only 15 minutes to prepare.  Dice a few vegetables, dump ingredients in a bowl, and stir.  It makes a quick and easy weeknight dinner, or lunch, or snack.

OK, that wasn’t the best of all.  This is the best of all- it’s good for you.  For weight loss surgery patients should especially take note of this recipe.  It’s got protein from the chickpeas and the cheese.  Protein is important for gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, and lap band patients in order to prevent muscle breakdown.  The fresh vegetables (plus the chickpeas) provide fiber, which helps keep you fuller for longer, which helps promote weight loss, and the fiber also helps promote bowel regularity.  The vegetables also provide tons of vitamins and minerals to keep you healthy.  Tomatoes are high in vitamins A and C, and cucumbers provide vitamin K.  Even the red onion and parsley are packed with health promoting antioxidants and polyphenols.  

Chickpea Salad

cups canned chickpeas, drained

1 cup cubed grape tomatoes

large red onion, diced

1 cup English cucumber, diced

cup feta cheese, crumbled

cup parsley, chopped (optional)

For the dressing:

cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp fresh lemon juice (roll the lemon before juicing)

1 tsp dijon or whole grain mustard

tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

1.   In a large mixing bowl, add the chickpeas, grape tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, feta cheese, and parsley.

2.   In a separate bowl, combine the ingredients for the dressing.  Whisk to combine.

3.   Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss again to combine.

This salad tastes even better after the flavors have had the chance to combine, so if you can wait about 30 minutes before eating. It’s even better the next day after chilling in the fridge.

The above recipe is offered by Dr. Shillingford, MD, PA.  Dr. Shillingford performs gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, and lap band surgeries at Northwest Medical Center’s Center of Excellence in Bariatric Surgery.  Over the course of his career, Dr. Shillingford has performed over 4,000 bariatric procedures, but most of his gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, and lap band patients come from Florida cities, including Boca Raton, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Tampa, as well as areas like Michigan, Texas, New York, and New Jersey.