My family doesn’t eat fancy lunches. I usually send leftovers with my husband to work, and my girls and I eat mostly snack-like plates. It’s just easier than stopping halfway through the day and preparing an entire meal.
However, there are days I get a craving for a little more–but I still don’t want to stop to cook up anything elaborate!
On those days, I look at what I have on hand and throw something a little nicer together. A few weeks ago that entailed some chickpeas, tomatoes, an avocado, goat cheese and some drizzled oil and vinegar. Here’s what I came up with:
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1/4-1/2 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 avocado peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 Tbsp. goat cheese crumbled
- extra virgin olive oil to taste
- balsamic vinegar to taste
Instructions
- Combine chickpeas, tomatoes and avocado in a bowl (or even right on your plate!).
- Top salad with crumbled goat cheese.
- Drizzle with oil and vinegar to taste.
- Enjoy your quick and easy--yet "fancy"--10-minute lunch.
Chickpeas can be cooked and frozen in big batches, so you always have them on hand and ready! Or, you can just use canned chickpeas, and all you have to do is drain them. I go towards canned in busier life seasons, like while I’m pregnant. I know–BPA, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do to keep sane!
What are your favorite 10-minute lunches?
Homemade Lemon Citrus Produce Wash {Natural, Fast, & Easy}
Nikki @ Christian Mommy Blogger
July 16, 2012 at 4:03 AMErin this looks so yummy! I often toss random ingredients together in a bowl and drizzle with oil and vinegar for a quick lunch. Thanks for a fun new combination!
Erin O
July 16, 2012 at 6:31 AMThanks, Nikki! I’m glad I’m not the only one who throws random ingredients together! 🙂 And I love topping stuff w/ oil and vinegar! Great minds think alike, right? 😉
Susanna
July 16, 2012 at 5:04 AMI love your site! I just found you through OAMM and this is great! I can’t wait to read more of your posts!
Erin O
July 16, 2012 at 8:10 PMI agree…Stephanie’s site is so great!! You can get lost on here for hours! 🙂
Lydia
July 16, 2012 at 8:04 AMErin, I found this list on Pinterest of companies that don’t use BPA in their cans. We always get Eden brand when I don’t have time to cook and freeze, because they are cooked with kombu (also known as kelp seaweed) which makes beans more digestible and less likely to cause gas.
http://inspirationgreen.com/bpa-lined-cans.html
Erin O
July 16, 2012 at 8:07 AMThank you SO much, Lydia!! I am going to the site and pinning this for sure! I really beat myself up about using canned beans, etc. at the beginning of my pregnancy, but I finally just threw my hands in the air and said: “OK! I need this to keep sane!” Ha! Of course, during pregnancy is a time to really avoid BPA. :/ I’m hoping to get back on track soon. I really appreciate the tip! 🙂
AlinaJoy @ Good Old Days Farm
July 16, 2012 at 10:25 AMThis looks delicious! We served something similar at our wedding… It didn’t have cheese, but it was a combination of chickpeas and mandarin oranges. I know it sounds gross, but it was great!!! =) Thanks for the new recipe, Erin! (And thanks for telling me about this site! I am loving it!!!)
Erin O
July 16, 2012 at 2:10 PMI’ll have to try that combo! And I’m so glad you’ve found KOTH! It’s one of my favorite blogs for sure!! 🙂
Jennifer
July 16, 2012 at 12:15 PMHi Erin!
Thanks for such a great recipe!! I just made this and was so impressed how easy, quick, nutritious, and satisfying it was! I made four servings, did not include goat cheese, and used balsamic vinaigrette with the oil instead. Still tasted wonderful, and now I am motivated to add balsamic vinegar to my kitchen. Never had any use for the b.v. before, but now I will try to “throw ingredients together” with drizzles of vinegars for my future cooking. This will definitely be a recurring dish for the home, and it just so happened I finally put good use to the chickpeas we bought months ago. (Never cooked with them before and was putting off finding a recipe.) Thanks again and I look forward to seeing more quick bean recipes!!
All the best,
Jennifer
Erin O
July 16, 2012 at 2:07 PMJennifer, this makes me so happy to know that you were able to make and enjoy this lunch today!! We love chickpeas at our house!! My daughters will eat them plain…but I like to “spice them up” a bit. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Jami Leigh
July 16, 2012 at 12:51 PMOoh my husband would love this! I need to make this for some lunches 🙂
Erin O
July 16, 2012 at 2:06 PMI hope he enjoys it! 🙂
Mooberry Farmwife
July 16, 2012 at 3:53 PMOh, so yummy! I have those ingredients on hand, and I make my own goat cheese – thanks for the recipe! 🙂 A simple lunch solution, I think.
Erin O
July 17, 2012 at 6:11 PMI’m impressed you make your own goat cheese! I hope you enjoy this easy lunch!!
Anne S
July 16, 2012 at 5:45 PMThis sounds so delicious! I need to get some chickpeas!
Erin O
July 16, 2012 at 8:09 PMThey are so yummy and full of protein! Both my girls love them!
Mom of 4
July 17, 2012 at 9:54 AMThis looks very good! I look forward to trying it!
Probably my favorite, heartier, but quick lunch is a baked potato… Dressed up with whatever I have on hand – salsa, sour cream, broccoli, grated cheese, or a cheese sauce, etc. And if all else fails, good old butter is pretty tasty too!
My kids favorite lunch is a “munch lunch” . It can be anything as long as there are three things to munch on. We often have a variety of crackers, cheese, pickles, olives, grapes, berries, apples, or whatever other random things we have around.
Erin O
July 17, 2012 at 6:06 PMThat baked potato sounds delicious! And we have lots of “munch lunches” at our house for sure!
Jane Huffman
July 18, 2012 at 12:55 AMI love everything with cheese so I know it tastes good as it looks! Thanks for sharing the recipe with us. It really looks appetizing. Good job!
[email protected]
July 19, 2012 at 9:13 PMI’m a cheese lover as well! I think it makes everything better!! 🙂
Cassie
July 18, 2012 at 7:30 PMI just made this today for lunch, and it was fabulous!! Thank you for such an amazing recipe. I have a feeling it will be making a very frequent appearance in my lunch rotations. 🙂
[email protected]
July 19, 2012 at 9:12 PMI’m SO glad to hear you liked it! 🙂
Jacqueline @ deeprootsathome.com
July 24, 2012 at 8:53 PMErin! Thank you for coming up with another delicious looking, quick, and healthy lunch idea. I featured it at ‘Encourage One Another’ an hour ago :]
I hope you are thriving with this pregnancy and growing in the Lord each day. You are always encouraging and blessing others! Stand firm; I am praying for you!
Erin O
July 25, 2012 at 8:55 AMThank you, Jacqueline! You are such an encouragement and blessing to us “younger” women!!
Melanie
March 13, 2013 at 3:20 PMHi, I’m new to this blog but I am glad I found it, I just recieved (email) the recipe for 10-min chicken salad(s) and I plan on trying them both. Thank You