Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Its very easy to make. Quick & Healthy. Its a great meal to have with some toasted pita bread for lunch. Chickpeas are also known at garbanzo beans. They are used in hummus. They are very high in protein and fiber and when added with vegetables it makes a great light & healthy Mediterranean salad. You can use different vegetables such as red peppers, cucumbers, celery, olives and so on. There are a million recipes for this but this is the one I made because of what I had on hand.

Ingredients:

1 can of Goya chickpeas, washed & rinsed

1 handful of plain parsley, chopped finely

1 clove of garlic, chopped finely

1 quarter of a small red onion, diced finely

1 large tomato diced finely

1/2 of a yellow bell pepper diced finely

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1/8 of a cup of red wine vinegar

Salt & Pepper for taste

Directions: Add all ingredients together. Add more red wine vinegar to suit your taste. Cool for an hour or two in the fridge then enjoy!

Roasted Corn & Black Bean Salsa

This is a light healthy treat I enjoy having for lunch alone or for dinner as a side dish for a Mexican inspired meal. It goes great with fresh corn chips which are simple to make or a bag of your favorite brand of tortilla chips. Its very easy to make because it pretty much only requires dicing the vegetables. In this dish I use a bag of steam corned however if you own a BBQ or have a grill for your stove top, I would recommend grilled 2 corn cobs and then slice the grilled kernels off for this dish.

Ingredients:

1 can of Goya black beans, drained; washed
1/2 of red onion diced finely
1 bag of steamed corn
1 large lemon
1 large tomato diced
1 handful of cilantro finely chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
a dusting Salt & Pepper
a dusting of onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder (be careful not to over do it!)
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Steam the corn as directed. Heat a large nonstick pan to medium/high with a few sprays of olive oil. Place the steamed corn into the hot oiled pan and let it sit there for 2 minutes. To not stir in the meantime because we want the kernels to brown a little. Stir after you notice the kernels are browning (check a certain area with a spoon first). Place the cooked brown kernels in a bowl to cool off while you chop up the rest of the ingredients. Be sure to rinse the can of black beans in a strainer under cold water. Mix all the ingredients up. Squeeze one whole lemon (make sure you don't add the seeds!!). Add a little salt & pepper and then add a dusting of onion, garlic, and chili powder making sure you don't over do it. Give it a taste. You may add more salt if you like.