by LaSal

Created on: July 01, 2007   Last Updated: September 01, 2011

This is one of my favorite salads.

We've always called chickpeas 'cici' beans. And they are my absolute favorite bean. I make cici bean salad all year long, and it doesn't stay in the fridge more than a day or two.

The basic recipe is as follows:

1 can cici beans (chickpeas) 15.5 oz
2T freshly chopped onion
3-4T freshly chopped parsley
5T white vinegar
2T canola oil

salt and pepper to taste

(Sometimes I just mix the above ingredients and have the plain cici bean salad.)

To add the tomatoes:
Seed the the tomato over a strainer to catch the juices while eliminating the seeds, then chop the meat to 1/2 cup and add to the above ingredients.

Finally add the vinegar and oil, salt and pepper. Refrigerate for a few hours, (if you can wait) then enjoy!

For an Italian twist to the salad add:
Increase the chopped tomato to 1 cup
4-5 large basil leaves, torn into shreds
1 slightly flattened clove of garlic to season the dressing (just leave it in the dish)
You can use a really delicious extra virgin olive oil instead of canola oil.
If you're not worried about fat content, you can add 1/2 cup of cubed mozzarella.

For a Spanish accent to the salad add:
1 large (or 2 small) ripe avocado, in cubes, or chunks
3-4T chopped fresh cilantro (you can omit the parsley if you wish)
5T freshly squeezed lime juice (omit the vinegar)
If you like spice, you can add a bit of chopped jalapeno.

For a Mediterranean twist to the salad add:
1/2 cup seeded sliced, cucumber
1/4t chopped fresh mint
14/t chopped fresh oregano
Again, as in the Italian version, if you're not worried about fat, you can add some cubed Feta cheese, about 1/2 cup.

Any way you do it, enjoy!

Learn more about this author, LaSal.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.