Radish, Cucumber, Onion & Chickpea Salad with a Lemon-Parsley Dressing

Frankly, given how often I make this, it's hard to belive it hasn't made it to the blog before now.

This is one of my favorite dinner salads. We make it in spring, when the first radishes appear, along with green onions and green garlic. At that time of year, it tastes like a spring tonic after a winter of cooked green vegetables. The salad gets a rest during the height of the summer when the heat is too much for radishes here, and then it returns with the fall crop. This time of year, we use mature onions and garlic, and it's a reminder that the days are starting to gather in.

Part of my love for this salad is that it's super-easy - if the chickpeas are already cooked, it's just a little chopping and getting the dressing ingredients into the food processor. Sometimes I'll toss a little cooked grain into this salad - bulghur is my favorite, but quinoa or millet or even some cold brown rice would be nice. I do that - as I've mentioned before - because the grain picks up the dressing nicely and also gives the salad a bit more heft and a pleasant chewiness.

We had this with Yukon Gold potatoes from our CSA box that I roasted with olive oil and tossed with lemon juice, parsley and garlic after they came out of the oven. They were the sweetest-tasting white potatoes either of us had ever had.

For the salad:

1.5 c. radishes, diced
1.5 c. cucumbers, diced
1.5 c. onions, diced
3 c. cooked chickpeas (if cooking from dry, that's a little less than 1.5 c.)
salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing:
1 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/3 c. olive oil
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 T. minced garlic
2 t. stone-ground mustard
3/4 t. salt
3/4 t. pepper

To serve:
6 c. salad greens
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

Combine salad ingredients in a medium bowl. Place dressing ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and buzz until the dressing is emulsified and the parsley has been chopped to tiny bits. Pour dressing over salad ingredieints.

To serve, divide salad greens among four plates. Top with salad mixture and feta, then toss.

Makes 4 light entree servings.

Comments

[Noah Oliphant]

Fantastic pictures. I'll have to try this recipe as I love all the ingredients.

[Jocelyn]

Thanks, Noah! Glad it sounds appealing. Enjoy!

[Candace]

Oooohhh... This looks delish! I love all the ingredients. I'll definitely be making this soon, while its still so hot outside! Nice pic!