Herby chickpea salad

Is it sad that the most exciting thing to happen to me this month was managing to get a rather swanky pair of gardening gloves for a pound in Waitrose? Maybe it has something to do with turning 34 last week, or the fact I now have a roof terrace for the first time in three years. Whatever it is, my fingers have officially turned green, and I like it!
As we’ve all been huffing and puffing in this insufferable heatwave (myself included), my little garden has been thriving. My cherry tomato plant is heavy with fruit, my lavender has been attracting local bees and I now have enough mint to make one mojito #thegoodlife.
Of course, it hasn’t all been plain sailing. There have been a few unforseeen causalities – I starved my basil to death, crushed my dill under a pile of washing and neglected my Jasmine until it resembled dry hay, but all in all, it’s been a successful harvest.
So, inspired by my gardening success, I thought I’d attempt to use some of my homegrown herbs in a recipe. As you all know, I crushed my dill in a horrifying laundry accident, but I still had mint, rosemary and thyme to play with… RIP dill.

Herby chickpea salad
Serves 4 as a side, 2 as a main / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 20 mins / V Gf
Hummus dressing
2 tsp Pomora extra virgin olive oil
3 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbs shop bought hummus
For the chickpeas
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Juice of half a lemon
Handful of fresh mixed herbs, finely chopped or 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
For the salad
4 handfuls of leave (I used a mixture of rocket and spinach)
Handful Pumpkin seeds
1 beef tomato, chopped
¼ of a cucumber, peeled and chopped
Pitted Kalamaka olives, halved
¼ red onion, finely sliced
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
100g vegetarian feta, crumbled (optional)

Method
1. Start by making the hummus dressing by mixing all of the ingredients in a small bowl with a spoon until fully combined. Put to one side.
2. Rinse and drain your chickpeas in a colander before squeezing over the lemon and seasoning well with salt and pepper. Mix in the fresh or dried herbs and put to one side.
3. In a large bowl, assemble your salad (you can use whatever salad bits you desire although I like to include feta and olives in mine to give it a Greek feel). Add the herby chickpeas and pour over the dressing before give it a good toss. 4. Serve as a side or as a meal with a bit of hummus and pita bread.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.