Think of this lunch as a Mediterranean salad meets hummus. Each mouthful is blessed with great textures and flavour combinations. The generous amount of dietary fibre will keep you feeling full throughout the afternoon to help ward off any vending machine temptation. If you want to expedite your time in the kitchen, you can also use store-bought roasted peppers.
Salad
2 large red bell peppers1 tsp (5 mL) grapeseed oil or sunflower oil3 cups (750 mL) cooked or canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed1 English cucumber, diced4 Roma (plum) tomatoes, seeded and diced2 green onions, thinly sliced1 cup (250 mL) flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped8 oz (225 mL) marinated artichoke hearts1 cup (250 mL) pitted kalamata olives, halved4 oz (112 g) feta cheese1/2 cup (125 mL) golden raisins
Dressing
1/4 cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil or camelina oil2 Tbsp (30 mL) tahini2 Tbsp (30 mL) white wine vinegar1 garlic clove, chopped1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano1 tsp (5 mL) sweet smoked paprika1/2 tsp (2 mL) black pepper
Preheat oven broiler. Slice red peppers in half lengthwise and discard seeds and stem. Arrange slices, cut side down, on baking sheet and brush with grapeseed or sunflower oil. Broil 5 to 6 in (13 to 15 cm) from the heat until skins are well charred, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer peppers to bowl and cover tightly; let stand for 20 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove skins from peppers and thinly slice.
In large bowl, toss together roasted peppers, chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, green onion, parsley, artichoke hearts, olives, feta cheese, and raisins.
Blend together olive or camelina oil, tahini, vinegar, garlic, oregano, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Pour dressing over salad and toss.
Serves 7.
Each serving contains: 387 calories; 12 g protein; 21 g total fat (5 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 42 g total carbohydrates (15 g sugars, 8 g fibre); 398 mg sodium
source: "The Lunch Bunch", alive #378, January 2015