Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad 7PointsPlus Value

By á-4084

A wonderful combination of flavors and textures. Let the chickpea mixture sit for a while for the best result.
Really good and simple to make. It only gets better the longer it sits. THough you may want to leave out the tomatoes and cucumber if you plan on letting it sit for more than a day and add them when your ready to eat.
I added a can of albacore tuna to this one day and it was VERY filling.

Ingredients

• 3 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
• 1 large whole wheat pita(s), split open
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin, divided
• 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, extra-virgin
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
• 2 cup(s) canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 cup(s) fresh cherry tomato(es), halved or quartered, yellow and/or red
• 1/3 medium English cucumber(s), cut lengthwise, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
• 1/4 cup(s) (sliced) uncooked red onion(s), diced
• 1/2 cup(s) fresh parsley, fresh, coarsely chopped
• 6 cup(s) (shredded) romaine lettuce, cut into thick shreds

Preparation

Step 1

Place oven rack in middle position. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or coat with cooking spray.

Coat both sides of split pita with cooking spray; place rough side up on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle tops with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and cumin. Bake until crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, water, oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin and pepper.

Add chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, onion and parsley; toss to coat. Let stand tossing occasionally, at least 10 minutes for flavors to blend.

To serve, line each of four plates with 1 1/2 cups lettuce. Top each with a slightly heaping 1 1/4 cups chickpea mixture. Break 1/2 of each pita into small pieces over each salad. Drizzle any dressing left in bottom of bowl evenly over salads. Serve. Yields 1 salad per serving.
Notes
This salad can be made 1 day ahead but add the pita pieces just before serving.