Easy Lunches
Chickpea and Cucumber Lunch Salad
Crunchy cucumber, chickpeas, and a lemon dressing for a simple no-cook lunch.
A good lunch salad needs something more substantial than leaves. Chickpeas give this bowl weight, while cucumber and tomato keep it fresh. The dressing is intentionally simple: lemon, oil, and a small spoonful of mustard.
If packing lunch, keep the cucumber pieces fairly large and add the dressing shortly before eating. Salt draws water out of vegetables, so a dressed salad becomes softer as it sits. It still tastes good, but it will lose some crunch.
THE RECIPE
Chickpea and Cucumber Lunch Salad
Amounts scale automatically. Keep piece sizes similar; pan size and cooking time may need adjustment. Round whole ingredients sensibly.
Ingredients
Canned bean and chickpea amounts refer to the can label weight before draining.
Method
Prepare the vegetables
Wash cucumber and tomatoes. Dice cucumber, halve tomatoes, and finely chop onion. If the cucumber has a very watery seed center, scoop out some of it first.
Whisk the dressing
Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until combined.
Toss gently
Add chickpeas, vegetables, and parsley. Fold with a spoon until lightly coated, rather than crushing the tomatoes.
Serve or pack
Taste and adjust lemon or salt. Serve immediately, or keep salad and dressing chilled in separate containers until lunch.
Small details that help
Mellow the onion
If raw onion tastes strong, soak the chopped pieces in cold water for 5 minutes, then drain well.
Dry the chickpeas
Let rinsed chickpeas drain fully so they do not dilute the dressing.
Make a fuller meal
Add bread, cooked grains, or a boiled egg if appropriate to your meal.
Substitutions & ways to make it yours
No parsley
Use mint, dill, or coriander.
Different beans
White beans work, although they are softer and need gentler mixing.
Mustard-free
Leave it out; whisk the oil and lemon vigorously and dress just before eating.
A couple of useful questions
Can I add feta?
Yes. Crumble a little over the top and reduce added salt because feta is salty.
Can I use dried chickpeas?
Yes, once they have been soaked and cooked until tender. Use about 240 g cooked chickpeas in place of the drained can.
