Moroccan vegetable salad

Points®

Total time: 13 min • Prep: 11 min • Cook: 2 min • Serves: 4 • Difficulty: Easy

Crunchy veggies—tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers—are topped with a garlicky chickpea puree to create a healthy, fresh lunch. Kirby cucumbers are small, with bumpy skin, generally have few seeds that other varieties, and often used for pickling. They are very crunchy and have a mild flavor. The chickpeas are blended with sour cream, lemon juice, and the sautéed garlic and toasted spices to create a creamy, lemony, spiced topping for the fresh vegetables. We’ve used a mix of fresh summer produce, but the puree is delicious when paired with any fresh or roasted vegetable. Pair this salad with whole-wheat pita wedges.

Ingredients

Tomato

2 large, cut into wedges

Red bell pepper

2 medium, seeded and diced

Kirby cucumber

2 item(s), seeded and diced

Fresh lemon juice

4 Tbsp

Kosher salt

¼ tsp

Black pepper

⅛ tsp, freshly ground

Olive oil

2 tsp

Garlic

1 clove(s), minced

Ground cumin

¼ tsp

Canned chickpeas

1 cup(s), rinsed and drained

Fat free sour cream

⅓ cup(s), or plain fat-free yogurt

Instructions

Combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, the salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Refrigerate, covered, until the flavors are blended, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cumin and toast, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.

Puree the chickpeas, sour cream, and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a food processor or blender; add the garlic mixture; pulse until combined.

Divide the tomato mixture among 4 salad plates. Top evenly with the chickpea puree. Yields about 1 cup salad with about 1⁄3 cup chickpea puree per serving.

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