Healthy & Delicious: Greek-Style Chickpea Salad Recipe

"Too often, grain and bean salads are over-dressed."

Mayo-Less Salad Series

A chickpea-based concoction, this Greek-Style Chickpea Salad from Cook’s Illustrated Best Light Recipe relies on cucumber for freshness, onion for zest, and a smattering of feta cheese for tang (or, as some are wont to call it, “feta-ey-ness”). Everything balances perfectly with the dressing. Too often, grain and bean salads are over-dressed, leaving the contents to stew in a pool of flavored grease. It’s not good for healthy eating or the texture of the food.

This dish bucks that trend by using just the right ratio of lemon juice, Dijon mustard, olives, and olive oil. It clings lightly to the chickpeas instead of drenching them. And whether you’re concerned about weight or leaky Tupperware at your Labor Day picnic, this is undoubtedly a good thing.

Oh, and it’s delicious, too, as Cook’s Illustrated recipes tend to be. The Best Light Recipe tome is quickly becoming an all-star of my cookbook collection, joining the ranks of their Best 30-Minute Recipe book and Christopher Kimball's The Cook's Bible. All are highly suggested reading.

Enjoy the end of your mayo-less summers. See you in the mayo-less autumn.