chickpea panzanella

• servings: 4 servings
• total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. cubed country bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tbsp. olive oil

salt

freshly ground black pepper

1x 14 oz. can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved

1 c. sliced English cucumber

1/4 c. Vidalia onion, quartered & thinly sliced

1/4 c. sliced celery

1/4 c. chopped celery leaves

2 tbsp. minced chives

1/4 c. basil leaves, cut into ribbons

1/4 c. Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

1/2 c. crumbled feta

1 tbsp. of lemon zest, about 1 lemon

4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2 c. good quality olive oil

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

handful of celery and basil leaves

Directions

Croutons: preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the bread onto a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat. Bake in the center of the oven until golden, about 10 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.

Salad: add the croutons, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, celery, celery leaves, chives, basil and olives to a large bowl.

Dressing: add the lemon zest and lemon juice to a small bowl. Slowly stream in the olive oil and whisk well to emulsify. Add salt and pepper.

To assemble, drizzle a little vinaigrette over the salad. Toss well, so that all of the ingredients are well coated. Taste the salad; it should be crisp and refreshing with plenty of acidity from the lemon. If not, add more dressing and adjust seasoning.

Right before serving, top with crumbled feta (if you add it too early, it will disappear into little pieces when tossed).

Garnish with extra celery and basil leaves.