Lunchbox: Chickpea-Kidney Salad with Parsley, Lemon and Dried Tomatoes

Psych GREs: Done.

The weekly effort against sandwiches was sustained.
Salads have been a tricky thing as of late, and I have to confess I haven’t been reaching for the lettuce lately what with all the don’t eat this, don’t eat that FDA restrictions. So I set my sights on looking for distinctly different, non-lettuce salads.

I like this because it looks like a summer’s burst of color on days that have been all too dreary with the rain and the early darkness (daylight savings is sometimes just really depressing). What’s also good is with all the canned and jarred ingredients, I’m still getting vegetables at a time when the peppers and tomatoes have not been at their brightest in the produce section.
To sum up: all the things a good lunchbox should be – quick, healthful, easy, and good for the whole week. To cut back a bit, I used the bagged dried tomatoes instead of oil-packed ones and cut the oil for the dressing in half. I also spiked mine a bit with more seasoning as I think it needs the spice to wake it – and me – up, but that said it’s missing just a touch of something, more cumin, maybe some lemon zest, to give it the real zip I’m looking for. Even so, it’ll join the lunchtime rotations.

CHICKPEA-KIDNEY SALAD WITH PARSLEY, LEMON AND DRIED TOMATOES
adapted from Bon Appétit, July 2002

1 15.5 oz can chickpeas
1 15.5 oz can kidney beans
1/2 c chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 c thinly sliced dried tomatoes
1 12-oz jar roasted red pepper, thinly sliced
1 bunch/6 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 c lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
~ 1/2 tsp dried hot red pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
cucumber

Rinse and drain the chickpeas and kidney beans well and place in a large mixing bowl. Add in the chopped parsley, tomatoes, roasted red pepper and scallions and mix gently to combine. Pour over the lemon juice and olive oil. Press the garlic cloves directly into the bowl Sprinkle over the hot red pepper and ground cumin. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix gently to combine well and refrigerate.
For each lunch serving: I use about ½ of a medium to large cucumber daily with the bean salad, but don’t like adding it in directly because it will go all watery. The night before or the morning of, peel, seed, and dice ½ cucumber and add in to your portion of salad.