Mediterranean Chopped Salad

My parents just were here for a visit and somehow during that time we managed to OD on salads. I'm not sure what happened while I was preparing our menu for the week, but apparently I was craving salad. We had salad for lunch, salad for dinner, and then repeated that pattern the next day. And then the next day. And then the next. OK, maybe one of those days we only ate salad for lunch, but at that point, we had consumed so much salad it really didn't matter. My whole family was dreaming about a thick, juicy steak served with barbecued chicken and a stuffed baked potato--without a salad in sight.

This was my mom's favorite salad during her visit...or at least I think it is. It's the one she requested the recipe for and the one she raved about the most. It's one of those salads that has the perfect taste of summer in each bite, works great as a lunch entree, yet is versatile enough to be an accompaniment to any chicken, beef, or lamb meal. Here you go mom. Sorry for the salad overdose. I promise it won't happen the next time you visit:-)

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered (about 1 1/2 cups)-- which I substituted with Roma Tomatoes from the garden
Table salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
1/2 small minced red onion (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
1 romaine heart, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
Ground fresh black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine cucumber, tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon salt in colander set over bowl and let stand 15 minutes.


2. Whisk oil, vinegar, and garlic together in a large bowl.


3. Add chickpeas, olives, onion, and parsley to bowl with oil-vinegar-garlic mixture.

4. Add drained cucumber and tomatoes to bowl; toss and let stand at room temperature to blend flavors, about 5 minutes.

5. Add romaine and feta just prior to serving; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

Yields: 6 servings Each serving contains: Calories 384; Total Fat 16.2g; Saturated Fat 4.4g; Cholesterol 17mg; Sodium 333mg; Total Carbohydrates 45.8g; Dietary Fiber 13.3g; Sugars 9.8g; Protein 16.6g; Vitamin A 51%; Vitamin C 37%; Calcium 20%; Iron 30%

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.