Chickpea Salad with Provençal Herbs and Olives

Sometimes I will make something not being quite sure The Kid will like it, but really.. who am I kidding? This kid will eat practically anything with very few exceptions. He hemmed and hawed that he didn't like coleslaw only to come home one night from work to a half eaten bowl of coleslaw in the fridge that I made the night before. Well, I was hungry and it was really good. Uh huh.. I know... punk, lol.

I wasn't really sure about the chickpea salad though.. I mean, sure he likes chickpeas and all but I figured I'd give it a go and see what happened.. I mean, it's all about expanding his palate and having him learn to prepare basic recipes that he can make on his own as well as being healthy too.

*if you don't have fresh herbs you can substitute dry, just use half the amount as the fresh.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
2 Tbs diced red onion
1/4 cup black olives
1 small cucumber, peeled & diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup feta


Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. 

Combine chickpeas and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. 

Pour vinegar mixture over salad, tossing gently.