Is it a chickpea power bowl, or is it a Greek salad bowl? Well it tastes like the best Greek salad yet has extra nutrients and protein thanks to chickpeas so I guess it is a Greek Power bowl for the win!

And the DIY Greek dressing on this salad is everything! It transforms bland chickpeas into the most addictive salad bowl that you will want to eat over and over again for a healthy lunch! I am sure it will become your new favourite lunch and dressing, as it is soo easy to make, yummy, and nutritious as it is packed with powerhouse veggies and fresh ingredients, full of antioxidants, vitamins and MUFAs (no that is not a swear word 😛 that is a healthy fat that comes from olives and olive oil which decreases the risk of heart disease and cancer and even diabetes, and provide many health benefits. Check out this Mayo Clinic article on Monounsaturated fatty acids.)

Ah the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet, they had it figured out, didn’t they!

Also don’t worry if you don’t have all the ingredients all the time, this is a choose your adventure bowl as it’s delicious with the basic staples of a Greek salad: oregano, lemon juice and olive oil, tomato, cucumber, and bell pepper, and for those who can tolerate it, feta. Or for a dairy-free, lactose-free Greek salad without cheese, the chickpeas add lots of protein, and they make it a filling salad.

Ingredients:

tomato, chopped

cucumber, chopped

red bell pepper, chopped

optional: orange or yellow pepper or a mix of bell peppers

optional: 1 x 400 ml can of chickpeas, or cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed

optional: pitted olives, I had green garlic stuffed olives but usually dark ones are used

optional: feta cheese, cubed, the amount depends on how much feta you like in your salad! Or sun with avocado for a dairy-free Greek salad.

optional: 1/2 red onion, diced or sliced thin into half moons

sea salt

The best homemade Greek salad dressing/vinaigrette ingredients:

1.5-1 2/3 tbsp fresh oregano leaves (or 1 2/3 tsp of dried oregano, rubbed in palm)

3/4 cup olive oil OR garlic infused olive oil and skip the fresh garlic

2 garlic cloves (if using large cloves 1.5 may do), minced

1/2 cup +a tbsp lemon juice, juiced in lemon juicer and seeds strained out

sea salt

pinch of black pepper, optional

Directions:

Place all the chopped veggies in a bowl. Place all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend. pour over the salad and toss.

I hope you try this healthy lunch idea soon, you will be hooked! 🙂