Herb and Chickpea Salad

Full of bright flavor, Chuck Hughes’ salad is a lovely mix of parsley, mint and oregano and is bulked up with tomatoes, cucumber, and chickpeas. Toasted and crumbled pita bread is an inventive way to replace traditional croutons! This is really inexpensive if you use herbs from your garden. From the Cooking Channel.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  pita bread, pocket
• 1  garlic clove
• 4  tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 2  good handfuls fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1⁄2 cup celery leaves
• 1  sprig  fresh oregano leaves
• 1  cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1⁄2 English cucumber, stripped, seeded and cut in 1/2-inch chunks
• 1⁄2 red onion, thinly sliced in half moon slices
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1  lemon, juice of
• 1 (19 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Open a pita and cut in half. Rub the surface with a clove of garlic, and drizzle with olive oil. Give a sprinkle of salt. Bake for 10 minutes, or until medium brown.
3. Put the parsley, mint leaves, celery leaves, and oregano in a bowl. In another bowl, add the tomato, cucumber, and onion. Add the 4 tablespoons oil, salt to taste, and lemon juice. Toss together to coat evenly.
4. Just before serving, add the herbs to the vegetable bowl with the chickpeas. Toss together, taste and adjust seasoning. Add the toasted pita bread that you crunch into your hands to make smaller pieces, and serve.