Earl's Kitchen - Chickpea and Artichoke Heart Salad

I honestly have no idea about fat content, calories or whatever else with this recipe.  But it certainly feels healthier than most of the stuff I've been posting on here lately.  And it could be used as either a side dish or an entree salad.  Especially if you add in some grilled chicken or pork souvlaki.  But we decided to go meat-less for our meal last night.  Just the salad, some crackers and some water to (arti-)choke it all down with.  See what I did there?

Now I need some potato chips and beer.

Chickpea and Artichoke Heart Salad
(recipe courtesy of Food.com)

Ingredients
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (garbanzo beans)
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 (7 ounce) jar roasted sweet red peppers, drained and diced
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olive
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 3 scallions, finely sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1-2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• 2 teaspoons za'atar spice mix (optional)
• 1 teaspoon sugar (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but I came close enough. Didn't have any za'atar spice mix or fresh mint, and I used more chickpeas than the recipe called for. Like I said, it was pretty close.  And it was delicious!

- Combine the chickpeas, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, feta cheese, kalamata olives and parsley in a large bowl.  Give it a few gentle stirs with a big wooden spoon to introduce each ingredient to one another.

- In a small bowl, mix together the red wine vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper, mint and the za'atar spice mix (if you have it).  I added a bit of lemon pepper spice mix myself because Gia likes.  Then you want to slowly add the olive oil, mixing it in with a whisk so that it incorporates into a dressing.

 - Add the dressing to the salad and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving and you are ready to go.

Like I said, add some chicken or pork or whatever if you want.  I think it tasted great as is, but by all means...get your carnivore on.  I made this around lunchtime and threw it in the fridge to blend the flavors until we were ready to eat at dinner time.  Turned out great.  Here's a shot of the final product:

Nom nom nom nom...

Do it to it, people!