Spicy Chickpea Salad

This is a recipe my husband and I make often on the weekends and have for lunch. It's quick and easy to put together and very filling.

The recipe doesn't call for tomatoes, but I think that adds some good flavor and color to it.

Spicy Chickpea Salad from: The Sweets Life             
1-2 cloves or 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon of whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon agave or honey
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup diced red onion (white or sweet yellow onions work here to)
1 jalapeno, seeded (or not-we like some of the seeds left in) and diced
zest and juice from half of a lemon
1 avocado, diced
1 teaspoon dried parsley-I forget this a lot!
2 cups spinach, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup diced tomatoes or halved grape tomatoes
more salt to taste
1/3 cup salted cashew (optional, but really good)

 In a large bowl-mix the first 7 ingredients together well. You can use a whisk or even just whip it a bit with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the salt. Mix well and add more salt if necessary. Top with cashews if using.

 Printable Recipe

Corn, Avocado, Tomato Salad

If you like sweet corn at all, you will love this salad. We changed the ingredients up a bit to fit what we had. Plus we aren't crazy about cilantro, but have basil coming out our ears!

It is a refreshing salad, that is quick to fix on a hot summer day.

Corn, Avocado, Tomato Salad From: The Girl Who Ate Everything (and originally-Paula Deen)
2 cups of fresh corn (cut off the cob and blanch in boiling water for 3-4 minutes)
1 avocado, diced
1-2 cups of grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup diced red onion or sweet white onion

Dressing:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced thinly
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper

Blanch the corn and  run under cool water while in a strainer. In a large bowl mix the corn, avocado, tomatoes and onion. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad, mixing well to combine. You can chill this for an hour or two. The two times we have made it, we have eaten it right away and there were no leftovers to refrigerate. It's that good!