Tomato & Chickpea Toss
What to do with all those perfectly ripe and sweet summer tomatoes? Not to mention peppers and onions and beets … as Shakespeare might say, ’tis a delightful dilemma. Last week, I chose to resolve that dilemma — my garden is kicking into High Tomato Season — by putting all of my random leftovers together in a bowl and tossing them: roasted peppers, onions, and beets (I had roasted a panful of veggies the night before), canned chickpeas, and a wedge of Salem blue cheese from Wisconsin. My excess-tomato solution could have just as easily involved roasted or pan-fried eggplants or carrots, or sautéed green beans, or wilted spinach, or whatever else I found in my larder or at the market. Ain’t summer grand?
(Side note: our good weather may only last for half of year, but in terms of variety of produce, Michigan ranks #2 in the country. Only California beats us. Let’s make the most of our bounty!)
Tomato & Chickpea Toss
Serves 2 as a light course and can easily be doubled or tripled. If you’d like to make this a dinner course, add a cup of cooked grains and double the amount of dressing.
12 cherry tomatoes
2 roasted peppers
1 roasted onion
1 cup chickpeas, drained
2-3 roasted beets
1 cucumber, chopped (optional)
Wedge of blue cheese (or other strong-flavored variety, such as goat cheese or an aged Manchego), crumbled
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 T. balsamic vinegar
Toss all ingredients together in bowl, adding a pinch of sea salt if you’d like. A few sprigs of fresh herbs would make a nice garnish.
Enjoy!
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Tags: blue cheese, chickpeas, peppers, summer salad, tomatoes
