Mediterranean Chickpeas with Smoky Tahini Dressing

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 peppers
1 tsp (5 mL) grapeseed oil or sunflower oil
3 cups (750 mL) cooked or canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 English cucumber, diced
4 Roma (plum) tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup (250 mL) flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
8 oz (225 mL) marinated artichoke hearts
1 cup (250 mL) pitted kalamata olives, halved
4 oz (112 g) feta cheese
1/2 cup (125 mL) golden raisins

Dressing

1/4 cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil or camelina oil
2 Tbsp (30 mL) tahini
2 Tbsp (30 mL) white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano
1 tsp (5 mL) sweet smoked paprika
1/2 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