It’s no coincidence that we use texture as a metaphor for bringing variety, excitement, and freshness into our lives. It’s easy to fall into a rut of eating the same breakfast eggs, doing the same weekend errands, feeling the same churning emotions, thinking the same tired thoughts. And as quickly as these actions become habits, they can prevent us from seeing the world anew. To clear away the staid gloss of habit from our vision, we need texture.
This is a salad for texture, filled with the chunky, crisp coolness of cucumber, the tangy firmness of summer tomato, the tender aromatics of fresh herbs, the creaminess of feta cheese, and the crisp bite of pan-fried chickpeas. It’s easy enough to quickly become a summer favorite, and delicious for every meal—in fact, it was inspired by a breakfast salad my friend Molly makes every day. Add an egg for an extra hit of protein, and feel that texture flood your life with new sensory wonder.

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Ingredients

Crispy Chickpeas
  • 1 15 ounce can cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • fresh ground pepper, to taste
Cucumber-Tomato Salad
  • 3 small-medium Persian cucumbers, washed, trimmed, and roughly chopped (about 2 cups chopped)
  • 1 1/2 medium heirloom or roma tomatoes, washed, trimmed, deseeded, and roughly chopped tomatoes (about 1 1/2 cups chopped)
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed mint leaves, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta
  • flaky sea salt, to taste
  • fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil, coriander, and cumin over medium flame. Add chickpeas and stir to coat. Sprinkle with sea salt and cook until no liquid remains, stirring occasionally until chickpeas begin to brown. Add red wine vinegar and stir to coat. Add a few cracks of fresh ground pepper and continue to pan-fry until the chickpeas become as roasty as you’d like.

  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, and mint. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, and toss to combine. Add crumbled feta and gently stir. Finish with flaky sea salt and pepper to taste. Top with crispy chickpeas.

Nutritional Information

Calories
290
Total Fat
14g
Saturated Fat
5g
Cholesterol
22mg
Sodium
807mg
Carbohydrates
33g
Dietary Fiber
8g
Sugars
10g
Protein
12g
YIELD:

3 servings