I just love when a side dish can double as a main dish! This chick pea salad with olives is yummy and filling, as well as being incredibly healthy for you. I have taken what could’ve been an ordinary chick pea salad and bumped it up with healthy ingredients such as broccoli and sun dried tomatoes, making this dish interesting and substantial. All of these flavors blend wonderfully together.
You can certainly used dried beans for this recipe and soak them overnight and then cook them for an hour….but I just didn’t have the time. You can also substitute different beans in this dish, but I really love chick peas. I think their texture in this dish is perfection.
This salad holds up great in the fridge for a few days. Add a sprinkle of olive oil before each subsequent serving to freshen it up and add that mouth-watering shine.
Here’s what you will need to serve 6-8 as a side dish…
Recipe
2 cans chick peas, drained & rinsed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped (can be packed in oil)
1/3 cup chopped scallions, white and light green part
steamed broccoli, 2 large florets (not heads), cut up into very small pieces
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup, plus 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh mint, minced
1.5 tbsp fresh basil, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp fresh oregano, minced (can use dried)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Method
Rinse and drain chick peas and place in a large bowl. Add olives, scallions, sun dried tomatoes and broccoli, mix well. In a small bowl whisk together red wine vinegar, olive oil and all the herbs. Pour over chick peas and mix until incorporated. If needed, add a touch more olive oil. Mixture should be coated with the dressing, not soaked. Allow to sit for 30 minutes to let the flavors blend. Serve at room temperature.
- 2 cans chick peas, drained & rinsed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped (can be packed in oil)
- ⅓ cup chopped scallions, white and light green part
- steamed broccoli, 2 large florets (not heads), cut up into very small pieces
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup, plus 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh mint, minced
- 1.5 tbsp fresh basil, minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 tsp fresh oregano, minced (can use dried)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Rinse and drain chick peas and place in a large bowl. Add olives, scallions, sun dried tomatoes and broccoli, mix well. In a small bowl whisk together red wine vinegar, olive oil and all the herbs. Pour over chick peas and mix until incorporated. If needed, add a touch more olive oil. Mixture should be coated with the dressing, not soaked. Allow to sit for 30 minutes to let the flavors blend. Serve at room temperature.