I’m really happy for my friend Jessica because her new book just came out! In Jessica’s signature How Sweet Eats flair, The Pretty Dish is brimming with 150 vibrant, flavor-filled recipes that can all be prepared in under 60 minutes. Exceptionally, slow cooker recipes. She also included 50 DIY beauty recipes. Personalized bath melts? I like that.
Jessica is just as vivacious, clever, and endearingly modest in person as she is in her writing. Her energy is contagious, and the book’s cover is the most accurate reflection of both her vivid personality and the recipes it contains.
This chickpea meal appealed to me since it is so straightforward and makes me think of some of my favorite deli salads. Spicy and garlicky marinated chickpeas with feta and basil.
Because of the roasted red peppers and a tiny bit of honey, they also have a slight sweetness. The two are in such perfect harmony with one another that I couldn’t stop going back for more.
You can use less red pepper flakes and garlic if you don’t like things to be too hot and garlicky. But as a lover of spices, I believe she has found the ideal balance. Garlic breath, don’t eat this salad before a hot date!
Jessica claims that this recipe tastes good the moment you combine all the ingredients (which is true; I was tempted to eat it all at once). However, the tastes meld and you end up with an even tastier dish if you let the mixture chill for at least 30 minutes.
The only modification I made to Jessica’s recipe was to double the amount because I knew you’d want more. The amounts listed below will result in the quantity shown in these pictures.
Also read: Gaby’s Cucumber Salad
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups of cooked chickpeas or 2 cans (15 ounce each) of washed and drained chickpeas
- 2/3 cup chopped red peppers, roasted (I used most of a 12-ounce jar)
- 2/3 cup feta cheese crumbles
- Chopped fresh basil, half a cup
- 13 cup red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon of honey
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- Salt, 1/2 teaspoon
- freshly ground black pepper, half a teaspoon
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (scale back significantly if sensitive to spice)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine the chickpeas, red peppers, feta, and basil in a medium serving bowl.
- Mix the olive oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
- Stir after adding the dressing to the chickpeas. For the finest flavor, cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- The salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
NOTES
This recipe is from Jessica Merchant’s The Pretty Dish. It was doubled.
Make it dairy-free by using sliced Kalamata olives and/or sliced pepperoncini peppers for the feta, according to taste. But they can’t make up for the feta’s creamy texture.
Jessica advises that you could swap out the chickpeas for cannellini or great northern beans.