Greek Style Chick Pea Salad with Tuna and Feta cheese

 Full credit for this lovely summertime salad goes to Greek Cooking Made Easy

If you are looking for a meal that will fill you and will boost your energy, this salad is all that! Because firstly, I don’t think I need to tell you what a superfood chickpeas are, especially if you've read my Weekend Ramble titled: Science Backed Benefits of Chickpeas.
A super nutritious and very easy to prepare meal if you just use canned chickpeas. Add tuna, corn, some Greek crumbled feta and green olives and of course our beautiful Ladolemono sauce, and you will get a salad with a touch of Greek taste!
Definitely a worth trying this memorable, summery salad that is an excellent choice year-round.

Ingredients:

For the salad:

• 215 gr / 7.6 oz canned chickpeas - drained
• 100 gr / 3.5 oz tuna, canned in oil or water, weighed drained
• 60 gr/ 2 oz or 1/2 cup canned corn - drained
• 2 fresh spring onions, finely chopped
• 60 gr / 2 oz feta cheese - finely crumbled in food processor
• 5 cherry or mini tomatoes, halved
• 8 green olives, pitted
• 2 tbsp. fresh dill - finely chopped
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• Optional: half green pepper - diced

For the Ladolemono sauce:

• 45 ml / 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 25 ml / less than 2 tbsp fresh fresh squeezed lemon juice
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• half lemon for garnishing

Preparation:

A. Prepare first the easy Ladolemono (i.e. EVOO and lemon) sauce:            

1. In a small bowl with the olive oil, add the fresh lemon juice.
2. Season with ground salt and Pepper, to taste.
3. Whisk all ingredients until they turn into a thick sauce.
4. Store the sauce, covered, in the fridge if you prepare it earlier on the day.

 B. Make the Salad:

5. Place drained tuna in a small bowl. If you prefer to have smaller tuna chunks in the salad (like me), then with a small fork, pull apart its thick chunks.
6. Scatter the drained chick peas into an oblong, not very deep salad bowl.
7. Add the tuna chunks and blend together with the chick peas.

8. Next, add the corn and chopped spring onions (and pepper in cubes, if using).
9. Add also the chopped dill and crumbled feta cheese.
10. With a large spoon, toss to blend all ingredients well.
11. Season with a bit of Salt (since we are using feta cheese which is salty) and ground Pepper. Mix ingredients once more.

12. To decorate the salad, place the halved mini tomatoes around the plate and the green olives on top.
13. To garnish the salad, place the half lemon on one side.

14. Finish the Salad by pouring the sauce on top!
15. Toss with your spoon once more to incorporate the sauce in the salad.
16. Your Chick Pea Salad is now ready!
17. The Salad now needs some time for the ingredients to be merged together, and to chill before serving, so store it in the fridge, with plastic wrap, for 1-2 hours max!

Be sure to visit Greek Cooking Made Easy to see more of their wonderful food!

Blessed be... and happy cooking!