[Restaurant Recreation] Marinated Chickpea Salad

I'm kind of a slut for ethnic cuisine.  Oh, and veggies.  I would pretty much do anything for a bite of tall, dark and GREEN!  Or yellow... red... orange... You see where I'm going with this right?  =)

Once I straight up cried in the middle of a restaurant simply because my friends wanted to abandon ship and eat next door where the only vegetable options were coleslaw and french fries.  We were on vacation and I desperatley wanted something fun/interesting/healthy to eat.  It was at that very moment that I realized just how much of a pain in the butt I am.  I also suffer from chain restaurant aversion.  Ask me to go to Applebee's instead of a sketchy little local joint and cue the water works.

So yes, if you ever try to make me eat at a Chilis, I will cry.  And I'm not a pretty crier.

There are, however, a few chain restaurants that don't make me cry.  In fact, I'll almost always jump at the chance to eat at a Panera Bread, Sweet Tomatoes, and a few others.  I've even been know to fling my car off at the nearest exit with a Taco Bell during road trips.  I'm not that much of a snob.  Unless of course I'm in a new town with seriously awesome food options.

Baba Gannouj is a North Carolina chain... and they're located in malls, no less.  But they're freaking AWESOME.  Their colorful Mediterranean dishes are fresh, full of whole foods, and pretty darn healthy to boot.  And their chickpea salads?  To die for.  So naturally I recreated it at home!

Marinated Chickpea Salad

[makes 2-4 servings... depending on how ravenous you are]

what's in it?
1 can of chickpeas
1/2 an orange bell pepper
1/2 a red bell pepper
1/4 white onion
1/2 an english cucumber

uber easy marinade/dressing
2.5 Tbsp white whine balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried minced onion
1/2-1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried dill

Brontosaurus Chefs It's fabulously vegan!  Enjoy as is or pair with falafel/hummus
T-Rex Chefs if you try to add meat to this I will fight you!  You can, however, pair this dish with shish kebabs or grilled chicken =)

get cooking marinating!

Drain and rinse chickpeas, chop your veggies, and toss them in a bowl.  Combine all dressing ingredients in a separate container and either shake or whisk to incorporate.  Pour over beans and vegetables and pop the bowl in the fridge, covered, for a few hours to let the fabulous flavors of the marinade get better acquainted with your veggies.

so... how was it?

I never get tired of answering this question -- SO GOOD!  It's tasty chilled but tastes absolutely best at room temperature [somehow the flavors are more amplified]  This refreshing dish is great as a side dish or as a stand-alone lunch.  You can toss them over a crisp green salad, serve it alongside a fluffy pita sandwich, or even turn it into a greek platter by adding grape leaves, hummus, tzatziki sauce, falafel, pita wedges and even a big ole pile of olives.  Just keep the olives to yourself.  I'm still terrified of them =)

This dressing also tastes pretty baller drizzled over Mediterranean Bruschetta!