SHESPEAKS Your Power to Influence

Makes: 8 servings

Description: This salad has a bright, alluring color palette, an array of shapes and textures. It satisfies all your culinary cravings. This chickpea salad is also easy to make! You can try variations on the recipe below by adding hard-boiled eggs. Substitute wheat berries or couscous for the quinoa. Substitute provolone, Muenster, farmer?s cheese or mozzarella for the feta. A quick kitchen tip, unwrap a few pieces of string cheese (mozzarella), half (or quarter) them longways and for a quick addition to any salad. Want to make it vegan? Omit the feta and add sliced almonds or sunflower seeds.

Ingredients:
1-15 oz. can  Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup  Pitted Kalamata olives
4 oz.  Feta cheese, crumbled or cut into 1/2-ince cubes
1  Red pepper, chopped
1  Green pepper, chopped
1  Yellow pepper, chopped
1 small  Onion, chopped
1 to 2 cups  Cooked, drained and cooled quinoa (do not rinse)
15  Grape tomatoes, halved
1 or 2  Cucumbers, halved or quartered
2 tsp  Olive oil
2 cloves  Garlic, minced
2 TBSP  Lemon juice (or red wine vinegar, if you prefer)
1 tsp  Dried oregano
dash  Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions: 1. After chopping (and chopping and chopping!), combine all of the vegetables, beans, and quinoa in a large bowl.

2.In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, and oregano. Stir into the salad and toss to combine.

3. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Lightly toss in the feta cheese.

5. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.