Chickpea salad with mint and basil

I usually use chick peas to make a curry or falafels  but I thought I would try using them more as a salad and get all the benefits of the proteins in them

Ingredients:

1 cup boiled chick peas
1 tomato

½ red pepper

½ yellow pepper

3-4 radishes

1 onion

2-3 iceberg salad leaves

2-3 sprigs of fresh mint

2 teaspoons of dried basil

2 teaspoon of lo salt (one to use when boiling the chick peas)

1 teaspoon of pepper

2-3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method:

1. If using chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) - soak them overnight in plenty of water. I tend to soak a big batch of 5-6 cups.

2. Wash the chick peas and add plenty of water and some salt and boil the beans until soft. This could take an hour or more and can be made quicker if using a pressure cooker.

3.  Once the chick peas have cooked, allow them to cool. You can save the extra chick peas in small plastic bags in the freezer to use for making curries, falafels or salads. 

(Note: Chick peas are also available ready boiled in cans in most supermarkets)

4. Prepare the salad by washing and chopping the lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, radishes and mix it with the boiled chick peas. (Feel free to add cucumbers if you like them)

5.  Add the salt and pepper, lemon juice, finely chopped mint and dried basil.

6.  Add the olive oil and mix well. 

7. Cover the salad with a plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for a couple of hours to marinate.

8.  When ready to serve, chop the onion finely and add to the salad. At this stage, you can also add feta cheese if you like it.  Taste and add any seasoning if necessary.

9. Serve as a starter with papadums and mango chutney.

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